Analysis on the Spatial Causes of the Bingling Temple

Abstract：The Bingling Temple is the earliest existing grotto temple at the junction of the Central Plains and Hexi Corridor：the beginning of the Silk Road. Monks are required to be far away from the city to practice Buddhism，but the monastery should not be too far away from the city to facilitate the pilgrims. In addition，the traditional Fengshui theory has a great influence on Buddhist architecture，so the site selection and layout planning of the grotto temple has become an important aspect of the construction design. This paper is designed to analyze the causes of location selection from the natural environment，administrative divisions and urban relationship of the Bingling Temple.

Key words：the Bingling temple;spatial form;evolution

1.The Grottoes of the Bingling Temple

The Bingling Temple gradually formed and evolved into mountains and valleys under the influence of various natural geographical conditions，such as mountain bodies，water bodies，farmland，settlements. Relying on the free-form spatial pattern of natural mountains and rivers，the Danya red cliff of the Bingling Temple echoes the surrounding villages from afar. The Yellow River has two 90° turning points from the west. Here，the water surface is gentle，with local characteristics of vegetation embellishment，multiple landscape elements with clear layers，forming a fairyland of “red mountain and clear water”.

2.The Wisdom of Site Selection

The characteristics of the distribution of the grottoes in Bingling Temple and the main reasons for their formation are as follow：1）The unique geological structure determines the distribution and the current status of the grotto temple;2）The military strategy determines the dense distribution of the small caves in the grottoes;3）The main traffic of the Silk Road determines the strip-shaped distribution of the cave temples;human characteristics and geographical culture determine the diversity of the statues in the temple. Therefore，the geological structure，military status，traffic arteries，and cultural environment are all closely related to the characteristics of the distribution.

Natural factors

The long-lasting excavation of stony caves has a lot to do with the characteristics of the stone itself. First，as a building material，stone is the most durable one compared to other types of materials. Secondly，stone is easily available. China has a vast land area，but its natural resources have been relatively scarce. There are few woods，but mountains occupy more than half of the Chinese territory. The massif available for excavation are all the third special stone form ecology. The caves in the mountains as raw buildings often have unmatched ecological advantages such as constant temperature and shelter from the wind.

Religious factors

The reason why this architectural form of the cave is adopted by Buddhism is closely related to the background and doctrines of Buddhism such as advocating monasticism. The basic doctrine of Buddhism is that the root of the "bitterness" of real life in the world lies in people's various desires. People do not understand the agony of life，death，and various other pursuits. It also lies in people's "confusion". Only by eliminating all desires can one reach the highest state of  "liberation"，or so-called "Nirvana". Practicing Buddhism is the only way to reach this state.

Political and cultural factors

The construction of the Bingling Temple is inseparable from its geographical location and political turmoil. This is the border area of the Central Plains，the Hexi Corridor，and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is also a major military stronghold for various regimes chasing for power. Starting from the Han Dynasty，it has been an important ferry for the Yellow River on the famous Silk Road leading from the mainland to the Hexi Corridor. The economic and trade development of the ancient Silk Road and the intermingling and collision between different cultures have created the Bingling Temple and its magnificent grotto art.

3.Analysis on the space strategy of the Bingling Temple

In the construction of the grotto temple，nature is effectively used to extend the spiritual realm in the limited space. The grottoes are cut in the mountains and arranged according to the terrain，forming a natural spatial pattern of "temple for mountain". At the same time，the natural cleavage of Dasigou makes the Bingling Temple relatively isolated and far away from cities and towns，so as to ensure that the Bingling temple can show the advantages of natural environment and religious essence. The formation of this spatial pattern gives the pilgrims an unexpected feeling of pilgrimage，which helps to form a complete organic entirety by fusing the grottoes and the surrounding landscape. It shows the absolute status and the sublime faith of the religion，and creates a spiritual while dangerous spatial temperament.

4.Conclusion

The grotto temple is an important carrier of the spread of Buddhist culture. In the process of construction，the Bingling Temple embodies the sparks generated by the collision of Buddhist culture and the wisdom of ancestors. Under the joint action of various reasons，the current site selection of Bingling temple is formed. The grottoes of the Bingling Temple embody the "flowing" beauty of the integration of time and space. On the other hand，the grotto temple has experienced years of construction，thus inevitably marked with the brand of time.

Reference|：

[1]  Qiao Xuefeng. “Layout and space construction of temple buildings” [J]. Architecture，Building materials and Decoration，2012（12）56-69

[2]  Wei Wenbin，Wu Hui. “Historical data of Tangfan relationship in the Bingling Temple Grottoes” [J]. Dunhuang research，2001（01）25-30

About the author：Wu Qi，Master's degree，School of Art，Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology。

（作者單位：Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology）