Wuwei Tianshi Mountain Caves

Tianshi Mountain Grottoes, also known as Dafo Temple, is located 50 kilometers south of the city in Dengshan Village, Middle Way Township. It was founded during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Northern Liang Dynasty in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, with a history of approximately 1600 years. Tianshi Mountain has magnificent peaks, steep and rugged, reaching into the sky. There are stone steps to climb, the road is bumpy, resembling a hanging ladder, hence the name Tianshi Mountain.

The Northern Wei, Sui, Tang, and Western Xia dynasties all undertook expansions, and it became a monastery of Tibetan Buddhism during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Due to the soft geological structure of Tianshi Mountain Grottoes, it has suffered varying degrees of damage in previous earthquakes. For example, in the 1927 Changzhou Great Earthquake, more than 10 caves were destroyed. In September 1959, due to the construction of the Huangyang Water Reservoir, the grotto site was submerged in the reservoir area, and some sculptures and murals were relocated to the Gansu Provincial Museum. The Northern Wei and Tang Dynasty Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, murals, and silk paintings are preserved by the Dunhuang Cultural Relics Institute.

Currently, there are only 3 layers of Tianshi Mountain Grottoes, with 17 caves of varying sizes. The largest cave is 30 meters high and 19 meters wide, with a depth of 6 meters. Inside the cave, there is a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, 15 meters high and 10 meters wide. To the left and right of the Buddha are the Bodhisattvas of Manjusri, Panya, Guangmei, Zunwen, and Kan Ye, as well as Anula, with vivid shapes, majestic appearance, and different images.