Administratively, the site is in Yongjing County of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu province, some 100 km (62 mi) southeast of Lanzhou.

Work continued and more grottoes were added during the Wei, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

The relief sculpture and caves filled with buddhas and frescoes line the northern side of the canyon for about 200 meters.

The sculptures, carvings, and frescoes that remain are outstanding examples of Buddhist artwork and draw visitors from around the world.

From central Lanzhou it takes 2.5 hours to reach Bingling Temple by car through very winding roads.