The Cave of the Thousand Buddhas, China
Dunhuang, the Cave of the Thousand Buddhas, North West China
Dunhuang is situated in North West China on the ancient Silk Route which connected Central Asia to India. Foreign Buddhists and Chinese disciples met the Dunhuang crossroads along the ancient trading route in the 3rrd and 4th C AD.
The ‘Cave’ is actually a collection of 492 caves known as the Mogao Cave. This cave is sometimes known as the Cave of a Thousand Buddha’s (Ch’ien-fo Tung) because virtually every cave contains images of the Buddha. These paintings, sculpture and other artworks represent the largest collection of ancient Buddhist art in China. The wall paintings contain famous images from various Buddhist sutras and stories including Buddhas, Heavenly Kings and Protective Warriors. Some of these images are massive; the most notable of these is 48 meters in height.
The original Cave of a Thousand Buddhas was founded by Chinese Monks and by the 5th Century AD Dunhuang had become a pivotal Buddhist area with the caves as a central part of the devotions. On either end of the valley in which the caves are carved lies a temple devoted to the Kings of the Heavens. Many Smaller temples and priests’ quarters lie in the valley and the valley throngs with the ringing of prayer bells during devotions.
Many sacred texts have been found in the caves. A vast collection of around 60,000 paper manuscripts and printed documents dating from 5 – 11 AD were discovered one cave temple in 1900. The cave temples had been walled up in 1015 and they contained Buddhist, Taoist, Zoroastrian and Nestorian scriptures.
Today the Cave of a Thousand Buddhas expresses a blend of Indian and Chinese Buddhism and is one of the most perfectly preserved ancient sites. The site is of an important Buddhist pilgrimage sites and is of special interest with regards to the development of Buddhism in China. Dunhuang became a World Heritage Site in 1987.
