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The 'Caves of the Thousand Buddhas'
The 'Caves of the Thousand Buddhas'
The 'Caves of the Thousand Buddhas', or Qianfodong, are situated
at Mogao, about 25 kilometres south-east of the oasis town of
Dunhuang in Gansu province, western China, in the middle of the
desert. By the late fourth century, the area had become a busy
desert crossroads on the caravan routes of the Silk Road linking
China and the West. Traders, pilgrims and other travellers stopped
at the oasis town to stock up with provisions, pray for the journey
ahead or give thanks for their survival.
At about this time wandering monks carved the first caves into
the long cliff stretching almost 2 kilometres in length along the
Daquan River. Over the next millennium more than 1000 caves of
varying sizes were dug. Around five hundred of these were decorated
as cave temples.
When the Silk Road was abandoned under the Ming dynasty
(1368-1644), oasis towns lost their importance and many were
deserted. Although the Mogao caves were not completely abandoned,
by the nineteenth century they were largely forgotten, with only a
few monks staying at the site. Unknown to them, at some point in
the early eleventh century, an incredible archive - with up to
50,000 documents, hundreds of paintings, together with textiles and
other artefacts - was sealed up in one of the caves (Cave 17). Its
entrance concealed behind a wall painting, the cave remained hidden
from sight for centuries, until 1900, when it was discovered by
Wang Yuanlu, a Daoist monk who had appointed himself abbot and
guardian of the caves.