Where is the grotto where the Broken Finger Buddha is located?

The Broken-Fingered Buddha is a Buddha statue in the Maijishan Grottoes in Gansu Province.

These caves are called "Thousand Buddha Cave", the most famous of which is Cave 127, also known as the "Oriental Sculpture Museum". In these grottoes, there are many lifelike Buddha statues of various shapes, the most eye-catching of which is the Buddha statue known as the "Severed Finger Buddha". Most of the Buddha statues in these caves were carved from the 5th to 6th centuries AD, representing the early peak of Chinese Buddhist art.

The image of the Broken-Fingered Buddha is a Buddha statue holding a bowl in his right hand and stroking his knees with his left hand. The elbow part of his right hand is naturally broken, so it is called the "Finger-broken Buddha". The reason for this break may be related to the carving technology at that time, or it may be due to natural weathering. But whatever the reason, this image has become a representative work in the art of Maijishan Grottoes, attracting tourists from all over the world to come and watch it.

Introduction to the architectural features of the Maijishan Grottoes

The statues preserved in the Maijishan Grottoes are mainly clay sculptures, which have been continuous throughout the ages, fully demonstrating the development and evolution of ancient clay sculptures. For example, the burly and majestic paintings in the early Northern Wei Dynasty, the graceful and clear figures in the late Northern Wei Dynasty, the handsome and clear figures in the Western Wei Dynasty, the round and jade-like paintings in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the plump and round figures in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the realistic changes in the two Song Dynasties, etc. It is an important material for studying the history of sculpture and art, and is known as the "Oriental Sculpture Exhibition Hall".

The tall statues are more than ten meters in size, such as the cliff Buddhas in Cave 13 and 98; the smaller ones are only more than ten centimeters, such as the shadows on the walls of the caves. These statues have both form and spirit, and have extremely high aesthetic value. For example, the Buddha sitting in the 78th cave is tall and strong, the Buddha sitting in the 44th cave is compassionate and forgiving, the disciple in niche 9 in the 133th cave is full of smiles, and the Bodhisattva and his disciples in the 121th cave " Whispering", the innocence and immaturity of the "boy" and "girl" in Cave 123 fully reflect the strong regional characteristics of the Maijishan Grottoes sculptures.

Reference for the above content: Baidu Encyclopedia-Bronze Statue of Severed Finger