Like A Limestone Cowboy

The Dazu Grottoes:

As seen from a distance.

This was just part of the start.

Trying to give you some perspective on how

big it is.  Oh, and this is maybe one-tenth of

the entire carvings.

This is rock.  That someone

carved.  And couldn't mess up

or it would look this good.

Dating back as far as the 7th Century, it

took 300 years to complete all of it.  

Mind blown.

Sometimes it's heaven, and sometimes it's hell.

Frankly, the depictions of

hell made for better photos.

Your basic Demon of Hell.

The close-ups are amazing.

Here a wheel crushes a person.

Here, a glutton is stabbed in the stomach.

These guys meant business.

Remember, this is only a tiny part of the whole thing.

These scenes are to encourage parents

to do a good job bringing up their kids.

Mid-wife and mom to be.

The eight dragons bathing

the prince grotto.

Many young artists were there to capture

different scenes.  Not sure if this was art

class or just their hobby.

The Wheel of Life, which is like

the Wheel of Fortune, but different.

Dude.  Don't mess with him.

Happy water buffalo, signifying following

of the Buddhist teachings.

The final big carving. Our guide and

an artist is show to give you a 

sense of scale.

Pagoda near the carvings.

I have to believe that 49 photos is the most I've ever included in one blog post.  There are just so many jaw-dropping scenes that I had to include a bunch of them!