Shihong Temple Caves

The Shihong Temple Caves, (Chinese: 石泓寺石窟, Pinyin: Shíhóngsì Shíkū) also known as Shikong Temple, one of the Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level, is a Buddhist site and one of the four greatest Northern Yan'an Grottoes. They are located in Shaanxi province, near Zhiluo Town, which is 65 km (40 mi) away from Fu County, Yan'an. The temple is situated on a cliff that is about 70 m (230 ft) long, arranged from east to west, with ten caves distributed along the cliff. The sixth and seventh caves from the east are particularly renowned and significant.

Caves in Yan'an exemplify Shaanxi province's cave art.^[1] They are typically integrated into mountains, cliffs, and along the river valleys, simplifying their construction. Notably, the ancient paths in front of the caves are a distinct feature.^[2] These geographical features are defining aspects of the Shihong Temple Caves.^[3] The mountains mainly consist of red sandstone and conglomerate, rock types that are easily excavated, shaped, and carved.^[1]

Historical records about the origins of Shihong Temple Caves are scarce.^[4][5][6][7] However, researchers know that these caves were initially crafted in the fourth year of the Daye reign (608 CE) during the Sui dynasty (581-618 CE).^[8][9] The intricate carving work persisted for over a millennium, concluding in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 CE). The early statues in the cave have characteristics of the Northern Wei (386-534 CE) style, which has led some scholars to suggest that it may have originated during that era.^[10]

Among the ten caves, there are three types of architectural shapes: rectangular, square-like, and irregular. Seven of the caves were used for worship, two for burials, and one for meditation. The statues in Cave 7 are relatively well preserved, while the majority of the statues in the caves are headless or have damaged faces. The sixth and seventh caves from the east are particularly renowned and significant.^[11][12]

The sixth and seventh caves from the east are the most important caves.

According to the inscription on the east wall, Cave 6 was constructed no later than 608 CE. It is connected to the front Cave 7. The east wall of the cave is roughly divided into two rows of a total of eight statues: five in the top row and three in the bottom row. The top row consists of three buddhas—one seated—and two attendants. The second row contains four seated buddha statues. There are seven inscriptions in Cave 6, five legible and two poorly preserved.^[2]

Cave 7 is the largest among the Shihong Temple Caves. It was constructed in the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) with its main purpose as worship. There are a total of 29 inscriptions on the walls, columns, and ceiling. These inscriptions mainly introduce the history and people who funded the construction of the caves.^[2][13]

As one of the four most important caves in Shaanxi, the Shihong Temple Caves are large and rich in high-quality statues, which represent northern Chinese Buddhist caves from the Song to Qing dynasties.^[14] The caves preserve a total of over 3,000 statues and 49 inscriptions from the Sui, Tang, Song, Jin, Ming, and Qing dynasties.^[3]

Numerous statues' faces were damaged during the Cultural Revolution by the Red Guards. However, now that the Chinese government has recognized the importance of these caves, and the State Bureau of Cultural Relics has been assigned to protect the caves.

On April 20, 1992, Shihong Temple Caves were included in the third batch of List of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Shaanxi. On May 25, 2005, the sixth batch of Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level was announced, and the Shihong Temple Caves were included in the list.

• Chinese Buddhism