Xumishan Grottoes (Chinese: 須彌山石窟) are located in Guyuan (Chinese: 固原) City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (寧夏回族自治區), China. The construction of Xumishan Grottoes began in the Northern Wei (北魏) Dynasty (A.D. 368-534).
Xumishan Grottoes has been subdivided into 5 scenic sites, Yuanguang Temple (圓光寺) is one of the most popular sites.
The construction of Yuanguang Temple began in the Northern Song (北宋) dynasty (A.D. 960-1127), it was reconstructed in the Ming dynasty (A.D. 1443), but was extirpated in an earthquake in the early 20th century.
Photo taking is not allowed in the grottoes, but Choumeizai still manages to take some photos, no flash of course.
There is a small hill behind Yuanguang Temple, from the top of the hill you can enjoy the panoramic view of Xumishan.
More than 130 grottoes in Xumishan, some grottoes do not have any decorative elements. It is thought that the grottoes may have served to house monks.
Mount Meru (Sanskrit/Pali: मेरु) is the sacred five-peaked mountain of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist cosmology and is considered to be the center of all the physical, metaphysical and spiritual universes.
