Bingling Temple

Built precariously into a sheer cliff face, the Bingling grottoes/caves or temples are a complex of caves into which Buddhist statues and murals have been carved over hundreds of years ago. Bingling in Tibetan means ten thousand Buddhas. The carving began in 420 AD and continued until the 17th century. Currently, there are just fewer than 700 clay sculptures and around 900 sq m of carved murals in 183 caves. Narrow walkways allow access to the site (though the original artists possibly worked lowered over the 60 m high cliff above a gorge of the Yellow River.), but it's the lowest grottoes, which are most impressive. Each statue is unique, the largest over 27 m high and the smallest under 25 cm. You can only reach the caves by boat when the water level is high enough in summer.