Monday, September 19, 2011

Dazu Rock Carvings, Chongqing, China


Dazu Rock Carvings, Chongqing, China



(images via: Wikimedia Commons)

The Dazu rock carvings in Chongqing, China are hewn from the cliffside, featuring more than 5,000 statues and over 100,000 Chinese characters of inscriptions or epigraphs. Though Buddhist statues dominate, Taoist and Confucian figures can also be seen which is rather rare in Chinese grotto art. The carvings were made in 650 CE in the Tang Dynasty and continued in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1616-1911)


 
Goa Gajah, Elephant Cave Temple, Bali
 
images via: My Budget Travel)

Goa Gojah, the Elephant Cave Temple, is one of Bali’s most historically significant sites. The cave was apparently partially destroyed by a natural disaster long ago, and was undetected for centuries until a team of Dutch archeologists stumbled upon it in 1923. Thought to have been built in the 11th century, Goa Gojah features statuary influenced by both Hinduism and Buddhism and contains secret meditation chambers for priests or hermits. Two traditional bathing pools outside the cave contain water said to have magical properties.
 

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