Grand Vairocana Buddha Niche at the Fengxian Temple was the project that Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian managed in person. Empress Wu Zetian donated 20,000 strings of coins for this project in the 3rd year of Xianfeng. It's said that the Vairocana Buddha Niche was the reincarnation of Empress Wu Zetian. These 9 statues seem either gentle and rustic, or weather-beaten, or supremely elegant. They vary in characters and positions. All this is contributes to a single theme: Grand Vairocana Buddha is the supreme Buddha. In some way, it means that Empress Wu Zetian is the supreme ruler. It's said that the New Year's Day in the 1st year of Emperor Gaozong's reign happened to be the day when Fengxian Temple was completed. Wu Zetian led the government officials to take part in the open ceremony of the Grand Vairocana Buddha Niche.

The statues built in Tang Dynasty had varied greatly comparing to those made in Northern Wei Dynasty. Tang sculptures have more human interests and friendliness. Bodies of the statues are plumper and stronger, which look more elegant, symbolizing the blooming national strength and economy in the early years of Tang Dynasty. In terms of sculpture, round carving in Tang Dynasty took the place of straight carving of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The wrinkles of the clothes are more fluid and elegant. Vajrapani have strong and protuberant muscles all over the body, exaggerating but within the bound of anatomical theory, showing a forceful vigor and a bursting power. The second blooming period for building the Longmen Grottoes ended in about A.D.705 when Empress Wu Zetian resigned and passed away. People no longer believed in the legendary reincarnation of the 'heavenly maiden'. The building of Maitreya statues gradually ceased. The splendor of Longmen Grottoes also fell from the peak with the disappearance of the Maitreya's spirit.

Guyang Cave
Guyang Cave is the earliest one among the caves at Longmen. Located at the south of West Hill, it took more than 10 years to build the cave by using nature rock caves. The chief Buddha in the cave is Sakyamuni. Three rows of Buddhist niches are located on both south and north walls. Each row of them is composed of four symmetrical big niches.