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  • The Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes

    Published:2015/01/06 Famous Temples Views:1884

    Dunhuang was a key hub on the ancient Silk Road, and the Mogao Caves, located in the city of Dunhuang, Gansu Province, are collectively referred to as the Western Thousand-Buddha Caves.

    The Mogao Caves are situated 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang City, carved into the eastern cliffs of Mingsha Mountain. Nestled between Mingsha Mountain and Sanwei Mountain, the site stretches over 1,600 meters from north to south. The caves are arranged in five tiers, with varying heights and staggered formations resembling a honeycomb or pigeonholes, creating an awe-inspiring sight. As one of China’s renowned four major grottoes, the Mogao Caves are also the world’s largest and best-preserved repository of Buddhist art, making it a globally famous Buddhist art center.

    In 366 CE, during the Jianyuan reign of Fu Jian of the Former Qin Dynasty, a monk named Le Zun arrived at this site. Inspired by a vision of golden light radiating from Mingsha Mountain resembling a thousand Buddhas, he initiated the excavation of the caves. Over centuries of continuous development, the site became a sacred Buddhist sanctuary known as the Mogao Caves or the Thousand-Buddha Caves.

    Despite enduring natural erosion and human destruction over the ages, the Mogao Caves still preserve 439 caves from ten historical periods: the Sixteen Kingdoms, Northern Liang, Northern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Western Xia, Yuan, and Qing. These caves, resembling a cluster of beehives, testify to their historical and artistic significance.

    The Mogao Caves are a palace of art that integrates ancient architecture, sculpture, and murals, with its richly detailed murals being particularly celebrated worldwide. The scope and content of the Dunhuang murals surpass those of any other religious grottoes, temples, or palaces globally. The walls and ceilings of the caves are adorned with depictions of Buddhas, celestial beings, musicians, fairies, Buddhist stories, and historical narratives, alongside donor portraits and intricate decorative patterns. The total mural area exceeds 45,000 square meters. If lined up, these murals would stretch over 30 kilometers, forming the world’s longest, largest, and most comprehensive gallery. The Dunhuang murals are renowned for their vivid imagery, especially the “flying apsaras” designs, praised during the Tang Dynasty as having “robes fluttering gracefully, walls filled with dynamic movement,” symbolizing the essence of Dunhuang murals.

    The sculptures of the Mogao Caves are equally renowned, with over 2,000 painted statues. These range from a 35-meter-tall seated Maitreya Buddha to Bodhisattva statues only a few centimeters in height, constituting a grand museum of sculpture. The sculptures play a central role in the artistic composition of the caves, with murals often revolving around these figures. Most of the caves were excavated during the flourishing Tang Dynasty.

    In recent decades, scholars from China and abroad have shown great interest in Dunhuang art, conducting extensive research that has led to the emergence of a specialized field known as “Dunhuang Studies.”

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