Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang, China – Fascinating Statues, Manuscripts And Wall Paintings

| December 15, 2015 | Ancient Places, Ancient World, New Science | No Comments

MessageToEagle.com – The Mogao Grottoes, near the oasis town of Dunhuang in the Gobi Desert, China are where generations of Buddhist monks built hundreds of rock temples.

Many believe that Dunhuang (the town’s name means “blazing beacon”) is probably the most important historical site in China. Nearly five hundred grottoes remain, lined with painted clay sculptures and wall paintings that depict legends, portraits, customs, and arts of China.

They were discovered at the beginning of the 20th century and over time they revealed an enormous treasure trove of Buddhist art in form of manuscripts, sculptures, painted scrolls and wall paintings ranging in date from the 4th to the 14th centuries.

The cave temples preserve about 2,000 Buddhist sculptures, 45,000 square meters of murals and more than 60,000 texts.

Mogao Caves

The Mogao Caves – tell a story of art and Buddhism that began more than 1,500 years ago.
Today, Princeton scholars and students – in collaboration with the Dunhuang Academy in China – are exploring the significance of the site in history of China and this region.

Additionally, the site – the world’s largest repository of Buddhist painting – also possesses many of China’s oldest Buddhist paintings.

Ancient records say that in 366 CE, Buddhist monks began to carve the first caves into the cliff stretching about 1 mile along the Daquan River.

Mogao caves

There is a beautiful story behind the creation of the “Caves of the Thousand Buddhas”. All started with a Buddhist monk Shamen Le Zun, who was travelling westwards towards Central Asia in search of the Buddhist truth.

One day, he had a vision of light and 1,000 Buddhas, which inspired him to carve the first cave in the middle of a desert oasis. After him, other monks joined him and carved their own caves; generations of Buddhist monks built hundreds of rock temples.

Mogao caves
Mogao Cave 17 – This one-room cave-temple was originally designed in the 9th century to memorialize the monk depicted in the statue, Hongbian, who died in the year 862. The son of a prominent family, Hongbian was the area’s highest-ranking monastic official. His life-size statue, which originally contained his ashes, sits in meditation. A wall painting behind the statue provides the setting, while his deeds are discussed in the memorial stele on the left. Photo courtesy of Dunhuang Academy

About 40 of them date from the Northern Wei-dynasty (385-557). More were added during the Sui-dynasty (581-618). Most of the caves were made during the Tang-dynasty (until ca. 750), when Buddhism and the Silk Route were in their prime.

Mogao Caves
Mogao Caves near Dunhuang, China.

See also:

Unanswered Questions Related To The Mysterious Huashan Caves

Ancient Secrets Hidden In The Piyang Caves – Mysterious Sacred Caves Of Tibet

Yungang Grottoes: Marvellous Treasure Of Ancient Buddhist Rock-Cut Architecture Is Now Restored

They are lined with painted clay sculptures and wall paintings that depict legends, portraits, customs, and arts of China. Caves in the complex came in every size. There were sleeping quarters, meditation niches, libraries, lecture halls, and halls to hold large ceremonies.

Mogao caves
The text of this manuscript on karmic retribution contains dialogues illustrating the consequences in the next life of performing various deeds in this life. It is written in Old Uighur (or Old Turkish). The illustration depicts monks in prayer, a couple encircled by a serpent and a sinner in flames. Credits: The East Asian Library and the Gest Collection, Princeton University

After 1000 AD, an incredible archive —with up to 50,000 documents, hundreds of paintings, together with textiles and other artefacts— had been sealed up in chamber adjacent to one of the caves (Cave 17), perhaps to protect the contents from invading armies.

Mogao caves

Its entrance was concealed behind a wall painting and the trove remained hidden from sight for centuries. In 1900, it was discovered by Wang Yuanlu, a Daoist monk who had appointed himself abbot and guardian of the cave-temples. The first Western expedition to reach Dunhuang arrived in 1879.

More than twenty years later Hungarian-born Marc Aurel Stein, a British archaeologist and explorer, reached Dunhuang in 1907 and bought seven thousand complete manuscripts and six thousand in fragments, as well as several cases loaded with paintings, embroideries and other artifacts.

Later others followed after him.

Mogao caves

The wall-paintings were done in dry fresco. The walls were prepared with a mixture of mud, straw, and reeds that were covered with a lime paste. The sculptures are constructed with a wooden armature, straw, reeds, and plaster.

mogao caves

The colors in the paintings and on the sculptures were done with mineral pigments as well as gold and silver leaf. All the Dunhuang caves face east.

Due to sandstorms and erosion, Mogao Caves are contantly in danger to be destroyed.

Beautiful interior of the caves can be admired – here.

First version of this article was originally published on November 18, 2014

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