The most impressive figure is the statue of Vairocana Buddha sitting cross-legged on the eight-square lotus throne. It is 17.14 metres in total height with the head four metres in height and the ears 1.9 metres in length. Vairocana means illuminating all things in the sutra. The Buddha has a well-filled figure, a sacred and kindly expression and an elegant smile.
 
A world heritage site named in 2000, the sculptures of the Longmen Grottoes are an outstanding manifestation of human artistic creativity. The Longmen Grottoes illustrate the perfection of a long-established art form, which was to play a highly significant role in the cultural evolution of this region of Asia.
 
The high cultural level and sophisticated society of Tang Dynasty China is encapsulated in the exceptional stone carvings of the Longmen Grottoes. The grottoes and niches of Longmen contain the largest and most impressive collection of Chinese art of the late Northern Wei and Tang Dynasties (316- 907). These works, entirely devoted to the Buddhist religion, represent the high point of Chinese stone carving.