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Mogao
Grottoes
 The
Mogao Grottoes (Mogao Ku) also known as
the Thousand Buddha Caves, constitute one
of the three major Buddhist grotto sites
in China, situated 25 kilometers southeast
of Dunhuang city on cliffs in the eastern
Singing Sand Mountains. Dating back to the
Han Dynasty, the caves contain buddhist
sculpture and frescoes from ten dynasties
ending with the Tang. After the Tang Dynasty,
the heyday of Dunhuang Mogao Buddhist art,
the local economy around Dunhuang went into
decline and production of Buddhist art lessened
dramatically. Despite the ravages of time,
the winds and sand, 492 caves still exist.
These caves contain thousands of square
meters of frescoes, created with layers
of cement and clay and then painted. The
various dynasties each feature different
styles and themes, and there is great deal
of variety in the content of the frescoes,
although themes typically revolve around
Buddha images. The Mogao Buddhist sculptures
were generally constructed with terracotta
and then covered with a carvable plaster
surface that is painted after being carved.
Cave number 17 is particularly famous for
its hoard of buddhist scriptures and artwork.
Opposite the Mogao Grottoes
at the foot of Sanwei Mountain, the Dunhuang
Art Exhibition Center was built by the Dunhuang
Art Study Institute with donations by Japanese
contributors. Replicated grottoes that have
been made to recreate destroyed or damaged
caves can also be found here.
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