Grotto temples and their guardians in the wilderness of Chin

First constructed in China along the Silk Road around the 3rd century, grotto temples - the religious niches or caves carved into mountains or rock - gradually evolved into a key form of Buddhist art in China. However, despite enduring for thousands of years, these grottoes now depend on protection from cultural relic guardians to pass on their millennia-old history and culture.

Related Keywords

Nanyue , Yunnan , China , Bashu , Guizhou , Sichuan , Gansu , Niujiaozhai , Hunan , Ziyang , Anhui , Chinese , Black Tiger , Zeng Xiangyu , Mingshan Temple , National Cultural Heritage Administration , Southwest China , Sichuan Province , Yuan Rongsunfirst , Silk Road , Leshan Giant Buddha , Dazu Rock Carvings , Song Dynasty , Cultural , Relics , Yuan , Temple , Tiger , ,