莫高窟 (mò gāo kū)Mogao Grottoes—中国古建筑及其故事英文版介绍

莫高窟(mògāo kū)

Mogao Grottoes

Spiritual, artistic and architectural wonders The Mogao Grottoes in northwest China are the greatest Buddhist caves, and the second oldestafter the Qiuci Grottoes in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region still in existence in the countrytoday.

Also known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas, the grottoes are about 25 kilometers southeastof Dunhuang in Gansu Province, a strategic center for trade, as well as a hub for cultural andreligious exchanges on the Silk Road in ancient times.

Construction of the caves began in the 4th century AD. According to a legend, Buddhist monk Le Zun saw 1,000 Buddhas bathed in golden light at thesite. He then decided to dig a cave into the cliff to create a place for mediation while pursuing hisquest for enlightenment.

Gradually, more Buddhist monks came here to dig caves into the cliff of the east range of MountMingsha. The caves served as both their homes and places to meditate.

Later, caves began to be carved out of the southern side of the cliff to serve as places for worshipand pilgrimage.

By the T ang Dynasty (618–907 AD) there were more than 1,000 grottoes.

Today, 735 caves, which contain numerous murals and 2,415 statues of Buddha, still exist.Distributed on four levels and stretching 1,680 meters from south to north, the floor space ofeach cave varies from more than 200 square meters to less than one square meter.

Since the grottoes on the north section of the cliff once served as mediation chambers, livingquarters and burial sites, they are simpler in design. But those on the south section are richlypainted and built in various styles as places for worship and pilgrimage.

The main chambers of these caves feature distinctive architectural styles such as chaitya, nirvanaand grand Buddha.

Cave No. 96 houses a sitting statue of Buddha measuring 35.6 meters in height.

The chaitya style has a square-sectioned column standing in the center of the chamber,representing Buddha. Worshipers would circle around the column seeking blessings.

Grottoes in the nirvana style are usually a rectangular chamber with a landscape orientation. Astatue of a reclined Buddha is placed on a platform built along the back wall and open forworshipers.

A cave for a grand Buddha statue is often built according to the size of the statue. For instance,Cave No. 96 houses a sitting

statue of Buddha measuring 35.6 meters tall. It is made of stone andcolored with clay.

Such caves all have a square base and the walls taper toward the ceiling, which is usually in theshape of a dome or a flat-top pyramid.

Cave No. 96 was built in the early years of the Tang Dynasty. The cave is inside a tall andgrandiose pavilion featuring nine flying eaves, which were rebuilt in the 1930s.

There are also caves that imitate traditional Chinese buildings and Buddhist architecture.

Some of the grottoes once had wooden porches, but they have nearly all been lost due toerosion or destruction. There are several relatively well-preserved extant wooden eaves at the entrance of some caves.They are rare samples of the wooden structures prevalent in the Tang and Song (960–1279)dynasties.

The large murals inside the caves have great artistic value. However, they are also treasured byarchitects and historians since they depict ancient buildings such as palaces, temples, pavilions,city walls, tents, bridges, prisons, beacon towers,

taverns, wine shops and tombs.

In 1987, the Mogao Grottoes were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Today it is

one of the most popular tourist attractions in the country.

Buddha statues in Maiji Mountain Grottoes Pictorial dictionary

·石窟寺(shíkūsì) cave temple

Cave temples are a type of rock-cut architecture that China first introduced from India in the 3rdcentury AD, when Chinese Buddhist monks began to build caves in cliffs and used them

asmediation chambers and living quarters.

Later, more caves were chiseled out to serve as Buddhist temples for worship and pilgrimage.

The best-known cave temples in China include the Mogao Grottoes, Maiji Mountain Grottoes,Yungang Grottoes and Longmen Grottoes. They are all fine examples of Chinese Buddhist art,combining architecture with sculptures and paintings.

Most of these caves were built in one of six distinctive architecture styles.

One is called chaitya, featuring a square-section column in the center of the cave. Worshiperscircle the column seeking blessings.

Some large grottoes were built to house large Buddha statues, some of which are nearly 40meters tall.

Others have combined the Buddhist style with traditional Chinese buildings.

Cave temples have long been deemed a part of ancient Chinese architecture.