Study On The Architectural Form And Combination Of Buddhist Chaitya Grottoes In China

Chaitya Grottoes are one of the important types of Buddhist grottoes in China.They originated in ancient India and were introduced to China along the Silk Road with Buddhism.They were excavated and used for nearly ten centuries in vast areas from the Western Regions to the northern Central Plains.Chaitya Grottoes,as an important place of worship in the process of localization of Buddhism,play an important role in Buddhist grotto temples due to their unique form and special religious significance.Influenced by religious culture and political history,Chaitya grottoes have high research value in Buddhism,art,architecture,sculpture,etc.Summarizing the different cave combinations and spatial forms of the Chaitya Grottoes,and understanding the architectural imagery contained therein,not only has significance in the study of architectural history,but also helps to further differentiate this cave form from an architectural perspective.This thesis is based on the perspective of architecture,through typology and quantitative induction,to conduct an in-depth study of all the pagodas,temples,and caves excavated by Buddhism since its introduction to China from the Western Regions.Taking the archaeological excavation report and related academic research achievements as the basic research materials,and taking the historical background of Buddhism development,the geographical environment of the grottoes and the Areal feature of the Chaitya Grottoes as clues,we collected and sorted out the detailed data of nearly three hundred Chaitya Grottoes in China,and summarized the time and space distribution characteristics of the Chinese Chaitya Grottoes;Treating the Chaitya Grottoes as an individual,exploring the types and transmission routes of external space and cave combinations,as well as the specific characteristics and lineage of the architectural form and spatial types within the cave;Based on the above analysis,combined with the form of Indian Grottoes,the world elements of Buddhist Mount Meru and the architectural culture of the Central Plains,this thesis discusses the influence of the design,excavation and construction of Chaitya grottoes for a long time,the ideas to follow and the Buddhist image to be reflected from the core idea and connotation.Through the in-depth study of the architectural form and combination of the Chaitya grottoes,it is found that the form of Chaitya grottoes in China is common,but in the process of development,it has formed unique Areal feature under the influence of different regional cultures.This study is based on architectural perspectives and methods,gradually deepening the cave characteristics of the Chaitya grottoes to their core imagery,and deepening the specific symbols and expressions of Buddhist cosmic elements at the spatial level of Chaitya grottoes architecture,in order to provide reference and reference for the study of grottoes in China.