Mogao grottoes was first
built in year 366.A.D. There
was once a monk named Lezun
wandering at the foot of
the Sanwei Mountains when
the sun was just setting.
He looked a round and saw
as if there were thousands
of Buddhist images in brilliant
and myriad golden rays radiating
on the Sanwei Mountains.
He was stupefied by the
scene he saw,. He was then
overjoyed, prostrated himself
in worship, and made a vow
to built Buddhist grottoes.
In the following years he
roamed around begging alms
to collect founds, and had
the first cave built there,
the news of which spread
like wildfire and attracted
believers around to come
to worship. Afterwards,
many of the nobilities,
officials and riches as
well as normal people followed
his example to came to build
caves in there, one after
another. It had become a
common practice and lasted
for many dynasties. There
are still 45,000 square
meters of frescoes and 3390
painted statues preserved
in Mogao grottoes dug in
different periods since
Sixteen-Kingdoms to the
Republic of China.
Frescoes in the caves include
pictures of Buddhist images,
illustrations, history,
celestial monsters, stories,
donors as well as landscape,
conditions and customs,
and ornaments, which reflect
directly or indirectly the
background of the social
history and life at that
time.
Painted sculptures consist
of statues, sculptures in
high or low relief as well
as statues of real people.
Statues include Buddha,
Bodhisattvas, followers,
and celestial kings, men
of great strength, monks
and celestial animals. The
biggest statue is the stone-bodied
image of Maitreya of 34m
tall and the smallest ones
are moulded relieves of
thousands of Buddha which
are only few cm tall.
The architecture in Mogao
grottoes has completely
preserved the architectural
forms in history of tens
of thousands of years. The
492 existing caves are divided
into varying forms. There
are caves of meditation,
caves of temple, caves of
tower temple and memorial
caves as well. They are
god-bearing palaces to keep
sacred religious statues
and frescoes, and places
for monks and priests to
practice religious rites.
Every cave in early period
had a tower-like square
column in centre. This kind
of form disappeared in the
Sui and the Tang Dynasties.
Caves built in the Sui Dynasty
had style that the plane
was square and the ceiling
was like a reversed-Dou
(measure vessel of large
square mouth , small square
bottom and four equal slopes),
and there was a shrine on
back wall. In late period
of the Dang Dynasty and
in the Song Dynasty central
altar took the place of
shrine on back wall so as
to leave enough room for
large wall painting. The
evolution of architectural
forms in Mogao grottoes
reflected the ancient artists
digested and assimilated
the foreign art when they
receive it, meanwhile, developed
and made it a Chinese form
in constant art practice.
Many of them are unique
architectural masterpieces
in China.
Ticket price: 100 Yuan/per
domestic visitor, 120 Yuan/per
foreigner
