Decoding the animals at Longmen Grottoes

Updated: 2015-12-25

Elephants are considered noble animals and the elephant king is often used as a metaphor for the noble bearings of the Buddha. The animal pattern often serves as the ride of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. So is the elephant in the picture below. However, the statue of the bodhisattva is gone due to the ongoing damage caused by time and nature and only the statue of cute elephant survives.

An elephant statue in Longmen Grottoes [Photo / Longmen Grottoes on WeChat]

A carving in Longmen Grottoes, tells story about a bodhisattva riding a white elephant for reincarnation.[Photo / Longmen Grottoes on WeChat]

The Four Crane Cave on the East Hill of Longmen got its name for the four crane image on its ceiling. Cranes are the most-frequently seen animals in places of Zen culture for its carefree and leisurely ease.

Images of cranes in Longmen Grottoes [Photo / Longmen Grottoes on WeChat]