Research On Xumishan Grottoes In North Dynasty

Xumi Mountain Grottoes is one of the largest Buddhist grottoes in northern China,and it plays an important role with the development of grottoes and Buddhist art.Now there are 65 caves in the Northern dynasty,including the meditation Cave,monk Cave,worship Cave,shadow Cave and so forth.There are temple Caves and the caves with central columns in worship caves.The cave with a central column is a significant feature of Xumi Mountain Grottoes.Xumi Mountain Grottoes was begun in the Northern Wei Dynasty,flourished in the Northern Zhou Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty.Caves are scattered in the eight peaks with lotus petals.The layouts of the grottoes in the north Dynasty are different from the ones at Mogao Cave.Compared with grottoes in Kizil Grottoes,mediation caves and monk caves are carved around the worship caves,forming a combination system.There is also a water cellar to provide the monks with daily water,together with other caves,and constitute a typical cave monastery.Its styles of statues in the Northern Dynasties are mainly sutra,four-sided Buddha,two Buddhas sitting side by side,the Third World Buddha,Manjushri,and Buddha with half crossed leg in meditation,etc.These statues reflect different religious functions in different periods through certain layouts.There is no nich and statues in 22^ndCave and 24^thCave,which are probably designed to highlight the worship.14^thCave is a Fahua space,with two Buddha seated side by side on the central pillar,a cross-legged Maitreya and thousand Buddha.The lotus petals on the upper side of the central pillar are graceful and light with rare feature in the same period in China.Four lotus petals at the four corners are represented the existence of the Buddha,and the other four facing three Buddhas and Maitreya are formed a combination of seven Buddha and Maitreya.The seven Buddha in the past have passed away,and Maitreya is the future Buddha who will be born in Hades.The idea of the"seventh parent"is implicit.The seven-story central pagoda in 32^ndCave in the Western Wei Dynasty is not unrelated to the traditional Chinese idea of the"seven parents",and the double-layered chapel in 33^rdCave is the result of a combination of Indian cave form and traditional architectural styles.The layout and forms of the caves are a tangible expression to reflect the transmission of the Buddhism,as a foreign culture.In the middle niche above the south gate of 51^stCave in the Northern Zhou Dynasty,the Maitreya in meditation with his body crossed in a crossed leg and the Bodhisattva and his disciples on both sides represent the scene of Maitreya preaching in the Tusho Heavenly Palace.Together with the seated Maitreya above the opposite north gate,they express the idea of Maitreya’s life.The combination of images throughout the cave reflects the intermingling of the seven Buddhas and the belief in Maitreya.This dissertation examines some specific issues in the caves of the Northern Dynasty at Xumi Mountain Grottoes,including supporters,Vimalvinshu statues,divine kings,and kabuki based on previous research.For supporters,the male and female at the same time,are as a guide of bhikshu and bhikshuni.Following the general paradigm of the arrangement of supporters in the cave,while the supporters of the Hu costume and most of the kneeling posture,these caves can also be seen as a reflection of the will of the rulers in the Northern Zhou,they will be his own will to govern the country resorted to religious imagery to make it serve his rule.The Vima Manjoo above the door of 46^thCave is also dressed in a bearded costume to be worshipped.The appearance of this new subject also reflects the development of righteousness studies in the Northern dynasty.The style and combination of form and the Northern Wei and Qi caves in some of the god kings in the Northern dynasty,it is not a simple image transplantation,but has a deep hidden connotation,related to the end of the image of a program.This paper also delineates the names of unidentified musical instruments in the Northern dynasty caves of Xumi Mountain Grottoes,re-determines the names of some instruments,and examines the combinations of these instruments.The construction of any grottoes is not isolated,but closely linked to its regional cultural environment.During the Buddhist cultural exchange of the Silk Road Buddhist,forms,images and statues of Xumi Mountain Grottoes are influenced by other grottoes.The study of the relationship between the caves of Xumi Mountain Grottoes in the North dynasty and other grottoes in these area.From the research above,the dissertation explores the position,combination,distribution of statues of grottoes from the comprehensive view.It also studys some specific problems to wish to know grottoes furtherly and contribute to future research.