Photo of Buddha statue making 'V' sign goes viral   

龍門石窟剪刀手佛像網上躥紅 網友游客膜拜

Two tourists take photos of the Buddha statue making "V" sign. (Photo source: the Orient Today)

(ECNS) – A photo of a Buddha statue in the famous Longmen Grottoes making a gesture similar to the "V" sign went viral during the Labor Day holiday, the Henan-based Orient Today reported.

A netizen named "90houkuangrenzu" said "the ancient artists must have predicted the V sign's popularity."

Some said the statue was appealing to tourists to protect historical sites and cultural relics.

According to the Longmen Grottoes administrative committee, the V sign is a ritual gesture in Buddhism, performed to convey the determined will of a Buddhist in his spiritual practice.

"It's just a historical coincidence that the gesture is similar to the V sign," the committee said.

Located at the North cave of the Binyang Caves, the statue is around 10 meters tall. Historic records say that construction of the cave started during the Northern Wei Dynasty (368—534 AD) and finished in the early Tang Dynasty (618—907 AD).