Longmen Grotto 565

CHINA, Henan, Luoyang

Grotto 565, or Huijian Grotto, is located in the middle area of the Yi River’s west bank. It was constructed in 673 during the Tang dynasty. The grotto lacks a front wall and thus actually resembles a large niche, 3.52 m in width, 4.2 m in height, and 2.8 m in depth.
The Maitreya Buddha statue in the center has a high usnisa, wavy hair, and a round face. Maitreta sits with legs pendent and both hands placed on the knees. A double-collared, loose monastic robe over an inner robe covers the body. A statue of Mahakasyapa, originally to the right of the Buddha, is no longer extant. The statue was replaced by three rows of the Thousand Buddha motif and small niches with Bodhisattva images. To Maitreya’s left, the disciple Ananda stands on a Sumeru pedestal.The two attendant Bodhisattvas with petal-shaped nimbuses are adorned with stoles, necklaces, armlets, and other ornaments. The Bodhisattvas wear long lower garments and threaded jade discs hang from the waist. The slender figures stand barefoot upon lotus pedestals. The Bodhisattvas’ heads and the two warriors that stood adjacent to them are no longer present. An inscription that dates the grotto to 673 is on the south wall near the opening. The inscription attributes construction to the abbot Huijian of Fahai Temple, under the orders of Emperor Gaozong (reigned 649–683), Empress Wu Zetian (reigned 684–705), and the crown prince. Huijian was also ordered by Empress Wu Zetian to build the Vairocana Buddha Niche of Grotto 1280 (Fengxian Temple).