Yungang Grottoes

Tourists at Qiao's Grand Courtyard. [Photo by Deepankar Aron/ For chinadaily.com.cn]

Time seems to have stood still here for the last 1,500 years. I was in front of the iconic image of the Yungang Grottoes, an image that has become the signature of the caves, the Big Buddha in Cave No 20. But time was moving fast for me. I had barely 30 minutes left before the curtains would come down on what was an unforgettable experience. However, I felt there was something missing.

I took leave of our group and went back quickly in reverse direction in the company of Eric. He wore an anxious look, as we needed to return quickly for the group photograph. Indeed, it was a rare thing for our group of 14 different nationalities to come together in front of the Dafo (Big Buddha in Chinese) for that final picture. But I was struggling with a different kind of turbulence inside me.

We entered the shikhu (cave) once again. Luckily, as it was close to the closing time, there were fewer people than there had been when we had visited about an hour back, amid jostling, chatting and the well-intended shouts of the guards asking the tourists to refrain from taking pictures, as the lay tourist would end up using flash, posing a hazard to the beautiful colors on the statues. While the first visit, with all the din inside the cave, saw me taking pictures, this time, my focus was not on photography.

I stood still as I entered the cave, closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. Slowly, as I opened my eyes, in whichever direction I looked, I could only see smiling, peaceful, calm and content faces. Not even 1,500 years had changed that expression of life. Even the weathering of the sculptures had failed to conceal the perfect bliss on the faces of the Buddhas all around, a bliss that we all strive to attain in life — that look of contentment, joy and happiness, as we go about living our lives. Indeed, if there was a cave that stole the show for the Yungang Grottoes for me, it was this –Cave No 6.