On Saturday, we had an excursion to Yunyang Grottoes which is close to our location. It was so amazing to see the great pieces of arts. I will share my observations and the information I had during the trip.
The Yunyang Caves, just 50 km. before you reach Datong, have been completed in Northern Wei Dynasty period, by 40.000 workers in 50 years (some say nearly 70 years) between 465 - 525 AD years. These caves are formed by 51.000 figures which are carved in the mountain walls and are well known as it is being an open museum. Each cave is numbered through the 1 kilometer length, reflecting the features of the early, middle and last eras.
Here is rated in the third place in the great creations of China in which a huge number of workers worked, like Great Wall of China, Terra Cotta Army (Xian) in the touristic places of China. However, this number is not so interesting for the Chinese people in such a big population.
These caves are given different names through the history. Until the Ming period, they were known as Wuzhou Shan Cave Temples. After that period, they are called as Yunyang Caves. Despite the fact that, there were 252 caves exist in total, only 40 of them are open for visit. The other caves lost their quality due to the sun, rain and the fact of lack of proper care.
The first era caves had been made in the mountains and had been damaged because of the water coming from the mountains that they are leaning on. Due to the high precautions, now, it is not allowed to make photos inside like in all the museums.
As you walk through the road to the other caves, you come to an open area. In most of the Travel Magazines, the Buddha Statues in here can mostly be seen in the articles about China's touristic places. Especially the 17m. high Buddha Statue takes over all the other ones. The Buddhas reflect the era by their way of sitting. If the legs are crossed, Future Buddha; if the legs are straight, Today's Buddha. In 2001, the Yungang Grottoes were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site, representing the masterpiece of early Chinese Buddhist cave art.
As it is well known, Buddhism is born in India and came to China with the influence of Silk Road. Therefore, these masterpiece of art caves reflect the mixture of Indian and Chinese art. The artists who worked in the previous carvings gave a support to this project as well.
The story how these carvings are made: According to a story, Northern Dynasty Emperor, Tan Yao, comes across with a famous Buddhist Priest. The Emperor's horse grabs the Priest from his cowl and does not leave it. The Emperor says: ' Horses know who is a good man.' and he assigns the Priest to be responsible from all the Buddhist activities in the country. The Priest chooses the Yunyang Caves which are located in the peak of Wuzhou Mountains as the temple and gives a start to the project. That is the reason why the first 5 caves are named with the Emperor's name.
Especially on the 15th cave which is known as Ten-thousand-Buddha cave, there are then thousand pieces of small cavings. Since this religion came from India, the temple did not have a big influence on the people, therefore the temple could not get an intensive care in the early days. When the Western and Japanese scientists started show interest on the caves, then they were recognised of their values. Until this period, many of the statues and Buddha heads had been stolen and been taken out of China. It is even known that a piece of this stolen statue is exhibited in a museum in France, however there had been no effort to claim it back.
After a long cultural trip, we came home very tired. My dear husband told me to take a rest and went in the kitchen to prepare Pasta Aschutta. I, now, share this special recipe of my dear Husband with you. Pasta Aschutta reminds Mike to everyone. The most important ingridient he adds is his love. Don't you ever forget adding it as well to all your dishes you prepare.
1 pack (no:5) spaghetti
2 tbs butter
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 tsp salt
Sos icin:
500 gr. calf minced meat
1 big size onion
2 tomatoes
1 small size zucchini
3-4 white mushrooms
2 green pepper
2 tbs paprika paste
1 tbs tomato paste
10-15 black olives
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
5 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup boiled water
How to make it?:
Prepare the spagetti as per the instructions written on the package (add it in the boiled, salted and oiled water and keep the cooking period 15-20 minutes). After boiling, strain it and wash it under cold water. Fry the butter on the non-sticky pan, add the salt and the spagetti on. Stir around 5 minutes.
In a different non-sticky pan, roast the onions and the minced meat. Add the remaining ingrediants sliced in small cubes in and mix them. Add the boiled water and let it boil 5 minutes. The sauce is ready for service.
AFIYET OLSUN!
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