A cliff-hanging complex of temples Oct 19, 2020

A cliff-hanging complex of temples

Feast your eyes on the colorful Mati Si (Horse"s Hoof Temple) and its cliffside complex of sandstone grottoes and wooden pavilions. An indentation in the sandstone provides a clue to the mythical origin of the temple. One legend has it that a frightened longma—a winged dragon horse—visited here thousands of years ago and left its hoof mark in the rock as it landed. What you can"t see in our homepage image is the narrow network of tunnels cut into the cliff, connecting the seven floors and multiple grottoes to the Mati Si pagoda, which is 200 feet high and holds hundreds of Buddha statues.

© Ana Flašker/Alamy

palette

Today in History

Oct 19, 2018Portland celebrates its bounty
Oct 19, 2021These laurels are hardy
Oct 19, 2022Wartburg Castle overlooking Thuringian Forest in Germany
Oct 19, 2023Mekong River Delta, Long An, Vietnam
Oct 19, 2024International Archaeology Day
Oct 19, 2025Apples ready for harvest in Minnesota

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 30, 2022Belted Galloway cows
Apr 5, 2025Gaztelugatxe at sunset, Basque Country, Spain
Jan 25, 2025Porto, Portugal
Aug 15, 2021Swim city
Jul 18, 2019A learning garden
Jul 12, 2024Mount Rainier National Park
Jul 10, 2020Italy s submerged village
Feb 14, 2023Valentines Day
Sep 16, 2019The mighty, mighty mushroom
Mar 1, 2020Casting a vote for women s history
Nov 5, 2022Tigh Mor Trossachs on Loch Achray, Scotland
Jan 24, 2020Sunlight sets Iceland s Eyjafjallajökull aglow
Dec 27, 2018A wonderland in winter
Mar 31, 2019Celebrating a Paris landmark
Sep 21, 2018A tower of light
Nov 15, 2021Manatee Awareness Month
Jan 5, 2026A herd of impalas, Londolozi Game Reserve, South Africa
Jul 5, 2021How green is my valley
May 18, 2024International Museum Day
Oct 14, 2023Ring of fire solar eclipse
Feb 17, 2025Presidents Day
Aug 30, 2025International Whale Shark Day
May 24, 2025European Day of Parks
Nov 3, 2021World Jellyfish Day
Dec 27, 2021Snow buntings take flight
Jun 3, 2019Oh, happy day!
Oct 15, 2022International Archaeology Day
Jun 7, 2021Dressed to impress
Jan 11, 2019Life in a North African town
Jan 29, 2026Milwaukee City Hall, Wisconsin