Bingling Temple Grottoes - Bingling Temple Grottoes

This cave temple is located in the Xiaojishi Mountains, about 40 km southwest of Yongjing County, Gansu Province, China. The name Bingling comes from the Tibetan word for "100,000 Buddhas." It was surveyed in 1952 and 1963. There are 1 cave and 3 niches in the upper temple, 149 caves and 34 niches in the lower temple, and 8 caves in the intervening grooves, for a total of 195. The lower temple, which accounts for the majority of the temples, has 2 caves from the Western Qin Dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, 2 caves and 1 niche from the Northern Wei Dynasty, 4 caves and 1 niche from the Sui Dynasty, 2 caves and 1 niche from the Early Tang Dynasty, 14 caves and 104 niches from the Promising Tang Dynasty, 3 caves and 10 niches from the Middle and Late Tang Dynasties, and 2 caves and 1 niche from the Ming Dynasty, with most of the caves from the Promising Tang Dynasty. Cave 169, the largest and oldest, is an irregular natural cave measuring 26.75m wide, 8.56m deep and 15m high, with about 30 niches and consisting of Western Regions-style stone carvings, stone clay sculptures, clay statues and murals depicting Buddha preaching in red, blue-green and yellow, with an ink inscription from the first year of the Jianhong era of the Western Qin Dynasty (420). Cave 8 of the Sui Dynasty contains statues and murals, while those of the Tang Dynasty contain many statues.

[Nobuyuki Shimojo]

“Chinese Grottoes: Bingling Temple Grottoes” edited by Gansu Provincial Cultural Relics Task Force and Bingling Temple Cultural Relics Archive (1986, Heibonsha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、甘粛(かんしゅく)省永靖(えいせい)県の南西約40キロメートルの小積石山中にある石窟寺。炳霊の名はチベット語の「十万仏」に由来する。1952年と1963年に調査された。上寺に窟1、龕(がん)3、下寺に窟149、龕34、その間の洞溝に窟八の計195がある。多数を占める下寺では五胡(ごこ)十六国時代の西秦(せいしん)の窟2、北魏(ほくぎ)の窟2、龕1、隋(ずい)の窟4、龕1、初唐の窟2、龕1、盛唐の窟14、龕104、中・晩唐の窟3、龕10、明(みん)の窟2、龕1があり、盛唐のものが多い。最大、最古の第169窟は幅26.75、奥行8.56、高さ15メートルの不規則な天然洞で約30の龕があり、西域(せいいき)風の石彫、石胎泥塑(せきたいでいそ)、泥塑の像と紅・青緑・黄を使った仏説法図などの壁画とからなり、西秦建弘元年（420）の墨書銘がある。隋の第八窟は造像と壁画で、唐代のは造像が多い。

［下條信行］

『甘粛省文物工作隊・炳霊寺文物保管所編『中国石窟　炳霊寺石窟』（1986・平凡社）』

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