Dunhuang and Mogao
Mogoa Caves, Oct 17 2016
Our ten days travelling have been a Dunhuang prelude. Mental and physical efforts in preparation for the enlightenment awaiting. In early times Dunhuang was the nexus of the Northern and Southern Silk Roads, and was a bowl which blended the ideas and people passing through the city. In more recent times, Dunhuang benefitted from its isolation from modern society and had not suffered some of the recent depredations of society. Today Dunhuang is a most complete historical record of Dunhuang, Buddhism and Buddhist Art of the 4th to 10th centuries.
We were very fortunate to have the benefit of some resources of the Dunhuang Foundation and the Dunhuang Academy to guide us through the Mogao Caves and the Western Thousand Buddha Caves of Dunhuang. Lucy Guan, one of the English speaking docents, our guide for three days, is one of the rare people you meet in life who enrich your life experience. Her knowledge of details of each cave was extensive, but her love for the art and the caves was unlimited.
Cave 328 – Dated 7th Century; Tang dynasty. Main chamber is square with a truncated pyramidal ceiling.The central niche with Buddha is original. Buddha’s characteristics, long earlobes, round face, three folds on neck. Buddha is flanked on each side by three statues. The immediate statues are two disciples, Kasyapa, the aesthetic on Buddha’s left and Ananda, young and handsome on Buddha’s right. One of the statues is missing and presumed to be in the Harvard Museum in Boston.
Caves 323, 322 and 324 – Dated early 7th Century, Tang dynasty. Images in the front niche of this cave were rebuilt in Qing Dynasty.Ceiling is in Southern Buddhist Style of truncated pyramid. The central square of the pyramid is surrounded by concentric bands. Center of the pyramid is a lotus flower. Surrounding this central lotus flower is the ring of floral patterns. Surrounding this is a ring of lotus flowers. The last ring is a fish scale pattern.In this cave are many historical stories which were created to compete with Daoism, which was the predominant religion in China at that time.
The structure of stories and images in Mogao cave are more complex than prior caves works, such as in Kizil. Images are not constrained by borders but flow along the entire wall interspersed with other stories and images. In Kizil, examples of early stories, were constrained in diamonds or rectangles, but Mogao is much more sophisticated.
Cave 329 – Dated 7th Century, Tang dynasty. Square chamber with truncated pyramid ceiling. This is typical of Tang dynasty caves.The central square of the ceiling is a lotus. It is of a special form that is called, Dharamasakra. Surrounding in the next ring are a pattern of tendrils followed by a ring of apsaras, flying beings. During the Tang dynasty the shape of the apsaras changed from a sharp “V” of Indian influence to a more realistic subtler shaped aesthetic.This cave had two narratives of Buddha’s Life; “The Conception” and “The Great Departure.”
Cave 16 and 17 – Cave 16 is the main cave. The famous Library Cave is cave 17. Dated 9th century. Cave 16 was refurbished in the 11th century. To the right of the entrance to Cave 16, the north wall, is an alcove which contained the thousands of manuscripts which were hidden for a thousand years and found by Abbott Wang.Cave 16 has suffered water damage due to overflow of the river and the lower portion of the walls had been damaged. They have replaced and supported the bottom of the wall with bamboo sticks to assist in air circulation.A quick lunch break in the restaurant.
Cave 96 – Dated 7th century, Early Tang dynasty. Called the Nine Story Pagoda. Within is a 35.5 meter (about 110 feet) tall Buddha. After the destruction of the two Buddha’s by the Taliban in Amiya, this Buddha is now the third tallest in the world. Of this Buddha, only the toe nails are original.Across from the Buddha are five levels of balconies for viewing.
Cave 148 – This cave has precise dating of 776. Tang Dynasty. This is a large Nirvana Cave. A stone tablet, stele, describes the cave and the history of this cave and the history of Mogao during the Tang dynasty. This cave was built before the Tibetan occupation of Dunhuang.Long altar along the west wall with a giant reclining Buddha. Behind the altar is a complete Nirvana sutra with images from south to north. Suiting the Nirvana image, the cave is shaped like a coffin.One each side wall of the niche are two Pure land scenes. On the left hand side is Medicine Buddha Pure Land and on the right hand side is Amithaba Pure land scene.
Cave 244 – Date 6th Century. It is a square assembly cave for worship. Central niche has statues of Buddha, center and Kasyapa and Ananda.
Cave 249 – Dated Western Wei, 535-557 AD. It I a very early style with significant Indian influence.Eleven caves today. Total so far, 39 caves. The target was 30 caves in 30 days and have now exceeded the goal.