A series of Chinese cave temples carved into the rock of a high river bank south of the city of Lo-yang, in Honan Province. The temples were begun late in the Northern Wei dynasty (386-535), in the Six Dynasties period, and construction continued sporadically through the 6th century and the T'ang dynasty (618-907). Following the transfer of the Northern Wei capital to Lo-yang in 494, a new series of Buddhist cave temples was begun. Construction of temples and images was most active during the first three decades of the 6th century and again in the T'ang dynasty from about 650-710. The site is dominated by a colossal seated image of the Buddha Vairocana carved under T'ang imperial patronage in 672-675.