stairways to buddha, a photo from Gansu, North

Photographer's Note

The Maijishan Grottoes are a series of caves cut in the side of the hill of Majishan. They contain over 7,200 Buddhist sculptures and over 1,000 square meters of murals. Construction began in the Later Qin era (384-417 CE).

The name Maijishan consists of three Chinese words (麦积山) and literally translates as "Wheatstack Mountain", a reference to the bizarre shape of the mountain. See my picture in the WS.

Majishan is one of a string of Buddhist grottoes that can be found in this area of northwest China, lying more or less along the main routes connecting China and Central Asia.

jean113, Didi, pajaran, worldcitizen, Angshu, adores has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

jean113 (28351) 2015-09-02 5:11

Hello Benny,a scene that I have never seen before; amazing that the stairs and the platforms are adjacent to the buildings and the Buddhas.
The presence of people gives us an idea of the scale.
Very good sharpness.
Regards Jean.

emka (158988) 2015-09-02 5:18

Hello Benny,

I saw in your intro that you often go to China and visit even less known places. Gansu province - I would love to go there to see the Rainbow Mountains - Danxia Landform. Have you been there? amazing this place, unusual the mountain itself and these big Buddha statues and stairs, incredible. I saw only Longmen grottoes and Giant Buddha from Leshan.
What happened to the Buddha on the right side? What is in the caves with doors? Fascinating place must be.

WArm regard s MAlgo

Didi (61591) 2015-09-02 5:24

Hi Benny
Awesome pictures with nice sculptures
Very original interesting subject
Well done
Best regards

Sergiom (117241) 2015-09-02 5:32

Bonjour Benny,

C'est un endroit tout à fait remarquable. Je ne l'avais jamais vu auparavant, Une manière très originale de se faire une maison. Un très beau point de vue et un belle qualité d'image.

Amicalement

Serge

worldcitizen (16236) 2015-09-02 17:53

Hello Benny,
What an interesting place. I've never seen Buddhas carved into the side of a hill before. The stairs and terraces also create a nice sense of graphism. I like the tight crop. We can see a lot of details, including some people visiting the site.

dkmurphys (79209) 2015-09-03 0:20

Hi Benny,
What a spectacular place! Lovely capture of those sculptures and the stairs along them. Never knew about this place....

Daniel

npecanhuk (79329) 2015-09-05 3:45

Hello Benny!
Unique and truly interesting details!
Very attractive picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, horizontal format and composition really pleased me!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

willperrett (14215) 2015-09-06 4:07

Hello Benny

I'm sorry I missed this one when you posted it. It has a marvellous graphic quality, mainly due to your decision to fill the frame with the subject. The horizontals and diagonals form a sort of frame around that amazing relief sculpture. BTW the Buddha looks curiously fed up!

Regards

Will

Angshu (56760) 2015-09-07 4:51

Dag dear Benny
The people in the frame gives a good idea of the fairly giant statue. Interesting the stairways which create interesting effect on the rock face.
Thanks for the WS which shows a wider picture of the place.
Best Regards
Angshuman

macjake (98544) 2015-09-07 11:23

Hi Benny
wow, its really hard to pick one photo from your last groupings - they're all great.

I picked this one because its certainly something i've never seen before.

funny to see the security camera, as a modern touch.
awesome cultural scene, really enjoyed this one
cheers
craig

adores (46979) 2015-09-14 15:33

Hi Benny!
I haven't been here when I visited China, that country is huge. This looks like an impressive place that I would really like to see and your pov is great to let us realise the dimensions. The staircases and the people really add a lot.