Bingling Temple Grottoes
炳灵寺石窟
A World Heritage grotto complex carved into cliffs on the north bank of the Yellow River. The Tang-era Maitreya Buddha is about 27 meters tall, and you reach it by boat through the Yellow River gorges.
The Bingling Temple Grottoes are located in Dasigou, in the southwestern Xiaojishan Mountains of Yongjing County. They were carved during the Western Qin dynasty, and about 200 niches and more than 700 statues survive. Cave 169 contains the earliest dated inscription in China's grottoes, from 420 CE. The Tang-era seated Maitreya in Niche 171 stands about 27 meters tall. In 2014, the grottoes were inscribed as part of the World Heritage site “Silk Roads: the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor Routes Network.” Most visitors take a speedboat from Liujiaxia Pier (about 1 hour one way) across Liujiaxia Reservoir. Boat tickets and entrance tickets are sold separately; prices are as posted on site. Special caves charge an additional fee.
Opening hours
About 08:30–17:30
Nearby sights
- Wanshou Guan Taoist Temple
- Hongyuan Garden
- Liujiaxia Dinosaur National Geopark
- Linxia Prefecture Museum
- Butterfly Tower (Hudie Lou)
- Bafang Thirteen Lanes
- Donggongguan Mansion
- Liujiaxia Reservoir & Yellow River Three Gorges