Matisi Grottoes (Chinese: 馬蹄寺石窟) is located in Sunan Yugur Autonomous County (肅南裕固族自治縣), Zhangye (張掖), Gansu (甘肅) Province, China. The northern part of Matisi Grottoes is the essence of the whole grottoes, tourists can climb up its Thirty-three Heavens (三十三天).
Unfortunately, Matisi Grottoes were devastated during the Cultural Revolution, but taking photos is still not allowed inside.
Thirty-three Heavens is actually the concept of Trāyastriṃśa (Sanskrit: त्रयस्त्ऋंश) heaven, which means an important world of the devas in the Buddhist cosmology. The word ‘trāyastriṃśa’ can be translated as ‘thirty-three’.
Thirty-three heavens is 42 meters high and has 5 stories, the stairs to the top two stories are quite steep, you need to use all your limbs to climb.
From the top of Thirty-three Heavens, you can enjoy the panoramic view of the whole Matisi area.
The first cave of Matisi Grottoes was dug around the 4th century, which was over 1,600 years ago; most of the relics have long gone.
