The Golden Buddha Gully Grottoes

The Golden Buddha Gully Grottoes

The Golden Buddha Gully Grottoes are located on the mid-slope of a rocky hillside to the northwest of Niubao Village, Lijun Township, Haiyuan County, facing southeast. They are a branch and continuation of the Xumishan Grottoes. There are a total of eight caves in the grottoes, carved into the mountainside along the natural terrain. Inside the ceiling of Cave 1, there are over 20 relief Buddha statues from the Zhenghe era of the Song Dynasty. Caves 6 and 7 house more than 10 relief Buddha statues. All the caves have flat ceilings and rectangular shapes. Outside the caves, there are two headless stone-carved seated Buddhas, whose attire features distinct Song Dynasty characteristics. Due to historical reasons, most of the Buddha statues inside the caves have been destroyed. The remaining statues and caves still hold significant research value for the study of Buddhism and architectural history during the Song Dynasty.