The Buddha statue in the Yungang Grottoes is draped in a kasaya adorned with a thousand Buddhas

The 18th cave of the Yungang Grottoes is the most rationally laid out and complexly sculpted among the Tan Yao Five Caves, with a rigorous overall design, undulating heights, and a harmonious and corresponding layout. Scholars speculate that this cave was built for Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, who launched a large-scale persecution of Buddhism. From the outside, this cave, like the others, features an arched doorway below and clerestory windows above. Its exterior wall is carved with rows of meditating Buddhas, densely packed like a beehive. The large Buddha on the north wall stands 15.5 meters tall and represents Sakyamuni. The statue has a full face, a high nose bridge, and a robust and simple appearance, standing tall and proud. The right arm of the Buddha hangs down, with the hand already damaged, while the left hand is placed across the chest, holding the robe. The Buddha is wearing a kasaya that leaves the right shoulder bare, with shallow, straight, ladder-like folds carved into the garment. The undergarment is decorated with bead and honeysuckle patterns, both of which were popular motifs in the ancient Persian Sassanian Empire and are highly indicative of Persian Sassanian artistic style. The number of Buddha figures on the kasaya is in the thousands, yet they are still neatly ordered, twisting up and down with the folds of the fabric. This is a unique feature in the carving of Buddha statues in Chinese Buddhist grottoes and represents a great artistic creation. This kasaya is therefore known as the 'Thousand Buddha Kasaya'. On either side of the main Buddha, there are attendant Buddha, Bodhisattva, and ten great disciple statues. The Bodhisattvas and disciples on the west side have been weathered away, while the attendant Buddha on the east side stands on a lotus flower, with a canopy above his head, a full face, and a majestic physique. The attendant Bodhisattva on the left wears a lotus-patterned three-pearl crown, with delicate features and a charming, coy smile. Above the head of the attendant Bodhisattva, there are carvings of five disciple figures, lively in form and varied in expression, some standing quietly with a bottle, some smiling with a flower, some listening with closed eyes, some as if enlightened, and some with joy emanating from within. They have deep-set eyes and high noses, and their smiles are captivating, subtly reflecting the style of the Western Regions and Persia. The Buddha statue in Cave 18 symbolizes Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty. All the founding emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty revered both Buddhism and Daoism, but due to economic and other reasons, as well as intense class and ethnic conflicts, the struggle between the native Daoism and the foreign Buddhism became increasingly sharp. The conflict between Buddhism and Daoism led to the first persecution of Buddhism in Chinese history. In 446 AD, Emperor Taiwu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the son of Emperor Taiwudi, issued an edict to destroy Buddhism, an event known as the 'Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution'. Six years after Buddhism was abolished, Emperor Taiwu passed away, and his grandson Emperor Xiaowen ascended the throne, issuing an edict to revive Buddhism, which then gradually recovered and developed. The Buddha statue in Cave 18 is dressed differently from the others, symbolizing Emperor Taiwu. This is a Thousand Buddha Kasaya, which in Buddhism symbolizes repentance. The left hand touching the chest and the right hand hanging down also represent a posture of penitence.