တရုတ်ပြည်က ရဟန္တာ ၂၉ ပါး လျှို့ဝှက်လှိုဏ်ဂူ

A secret temple within the legendary Chinese Longmen Grottoes is to open up for public viewing by tourists for the first time in over six decades.

The Royal Cave Temple in central China has always stayed closed to preserve the beauty of rare artifacts within, according to People's Daily Online.

The 29 statues in the temple, showing 'arhat' monks progressing to enlightenment, were created at some point during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), making it the largest collection of such statues in China, and each have immeasurable research and artistic value.

The temple, a key part of the UNESCO World Heritage site, will finally be revealed to the public on March 10 for visitors to enjoy the remarkable artifacts and experience a piece of Chinese history.

(Under wraps: The Royal Cave Temple in the Longmen Grottoes, Henan province, has stayed closed to preserve the beauty of rare artifacts)

(Holy wonder: The 29 statues in the temple, showing 'arhat' monks progressing to enlightenment, were created during the Tang Dynasty)

(Historic: The temple will open to the public on March 10 to enjoy the remarkable artworks and experience a piece of Chinese history)

(Beauty taken away: The cave was tragically destroyed during the Chinese Cultural Revolution between 1966 and '76 but reconstructed)

(Place of pilgrimage: The Longmen Grottoes are located on both sides of Yi River to the south of the capital of Luoyang, Henan province)

The cave was tragically destroyed during the events surrounding the Chinese Cultural Revolution between 1966 and '76. As a result, the main statue in the chamber is not the original statue but a similar one found by the archaeologists who placed it there. The cave in which the temple rests is believed to have been carved in the Dynasty during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian (624-705) and Emperor Li Longji (685-762) and was built as an imperial shrine.

The cave's magestic front gate is a remarkable 23ft high and 16ft wide. The cave's interior - the largest grotto on Dongshan Mountain - is 30ft high, 33ft deep and 34ft wide.

The Longmen Grottoes - or Dragon's Gate Grottoes - are a series of 2,300 caves in China's eastern Henan province containing in excess of 110,000 stone statues, more than 60 pagodas and 2,800 inscriptions carved on steles, and represent an extraordinary collection of early Medieval Buddhist art.

The amazing caves sit on both sides of the Yi River to the south of the ancient capital of Luoyang and already attract thousands of tourists every year.

The vast statues, many depicting monks, god-figures and Buddha himself, were meticulously carved from the limestone cliffs by expert craftsmen.

(Imperial splendour: The cave is thought to have been built during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian (624-705) and Emperor Longji (685-762)

(Incredible: The vast Longmen statues, depicting monks and Buddha himself, were carved from the limestone cliffs by expert craftsmen)

(Sight to behold: Thousands of tourists flock to visit the caves every year to soak up the entirety of their beauty, charm and mystery)

(Protected site: In 2000 the site was added the UNESCO World Heritage List as “an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity.”)

In 2000 the site was added the UNESCO World Heritage List as 'an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity.'

Lu Wei, director of the Longmen Grottoes Research Centre, told Luoyang Evening News that all relics in the cave are extremely precious and that the centre rarely only lets visitors into the cave for protection purposes up to this point in time.

He told journalists: 'The Kan Jing Temple is one of the most iconic grottoes at Longmen. Judging from its immense size, it should have been commissioned by the imperial members or senior government official at the time.

{{THE LONGMEN GROTTOES: AN ANCIENT ARTISTIC MARVEL CARVED OUT OF THE CLIFF'S EDGE}}

The grotto caves cover a 0.6 mile stretch along the limestone cliffs overlooking the Yi River in Henan Province.

The earliest caves to be carved in the late 5th and early 6th centuries in the West Hill cliffs include Guyangdong and the Three Binyang Caves, all containing large Buddha figures standing up to 16ft tall outside the caves

The sculptural styles, the earlier 'Central China Style' and the later 'Great Tang Style', had great influence within the country's cultural history

The landmark was awarded UNESCO special protected status after the committee agreed that 'the high cultural level and sophisticated society of Tang Dynasty China are encapsulated in the exceptional stone carvings.'

Work on the sculpture in these caves continued over a 150 year period during the Chinese Middle Ages. Source: UNESCO

Ref: The secret chamber of Zen: Stunning first images of the ancient Chinese imperial temple carved from a MOUNTAIN before it opens to the public (dailymail)