Where are the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang? What are the historical changes of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang?

Mogao Grottoes were first built during the reign of Emperor Xuanzhao of the Former Qin Dynasty, Fu Jian. According to the Tang Dynasty book "Li Kerang's Stele of Rebuilding the Buddhist Shrines of Mogao Grottoes", in the second year of Jianyuan of the Former Qin Dynasty (366), the monk Le Zun passed by this mountain and suddenly saw a golden light shining, as if thousands of Buddhas appeared, so he dug the first cave on the rock wall. It is a Buddhist resort. You must go and see it if you have time. So where is the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes? What are the historical changes of the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes? Let's take a look at the introduction of Encyclopedia Knowledge Network below!

Contents of this article

1. Where are the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang?

2. What are the historical changes of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes?

3. The historical value of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes

4. Can I take photos when visiting Mogao Grottoes?

Where are the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang?

Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes is the general name of Mogao Grottoes and Western Thousand Buddha Caves in Dunhuang City, Gansu Province. It is one of the four famous grottoes in my country and the largest and most content-rich Buddhist art site in the world. It was first built during the reign of Emperor Xuanzhao of the Former Qin Dynasty, Fu Jian.

Mogao Grottoes are located 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang City, carved on the cliffs at the eastern foot of Mingsha Mountain. It is about 1,600 meters long from north to south, with five layers arranged in a staggered manner, shaped like a beehive and pigeon house, which is spectacular.

Mogao Grottoes is an art palace that combines ancient architecture, sculptures and murals, and is especially famous for its colorful murals. The volume and content of Dunhuang murals are so rich that no other religious grottoes, temples or palaces in the world can match them.

During the 1,500 years of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, more than 480 caves were built densely on the walls of the 3-li-long Mingsha Mountain, filled with colorful sculptures of Buddha and murals with Buddhist stories as themes.

Mogao Grottoes, Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan, and Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi are known as the three major grottoes in China. Later, Maijishan Grottoes were added to form the four major grottoes.

What are the historical changes of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes?

The Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang were first built in the Former Qin Dynasty. In the Northern Dynasties, the rulers strongly supported its construction. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, with the prosperity of the Silk Road, the Mogao Grottoes flourished. It gradually declined until the Northern Song Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty. Although it was rebuilt in the early Qing Dynasty, it became depressed again in the late Qing Dynasty. It was not until modern times that it was protected by the state that the Mogao Grottoes reappeared in the public eye.

Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, is located in Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. It has a total of 735 caves, 2,415 clay sculptures, and 45,000 square meters of murals. Mogao Grottoes is the most abundant Buddhist art site, and is known as one of the three major grottoes in China along with the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan, and the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi. In 1987, Mogao Grottoes was listed as a World Cultural Heritage.

Mogao Grottoes was originally called Mogao Grottoes, which means the depths of the desert. In 366 AD, a monk named Le Zun passed by this place and saw a golden light that looked like thousands of Buddhas, so he dug the first cave on the rock wall. After that, Zen masters continued to build caves and practice Zen here, and the place gradually became a famous Buddhist holy place. Later, it was supported and vigorously built by the rulers, and Mogao Grottoes continued to grow and develop.

The historical value of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes

The murals in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, some of which reflect the production and labor scenes and social life scenes of the time, provide valuable information for the study of ancient Chinese society from the 4th to the 14th century.

The discovery of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang has extremely important research value for supplementing and collating ancient Chinese documents.

The murals from various dynasties reflect the political, economic and cultural conditions of my country's feudal society and provide precious visual historical materials for the study of ancient Chinese history.

The murals in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang were created by ancient artists on the basis of nationalization, absorbing the strengths of ancient art from Iran, India, Greece and other countries. They are a symbol of the developed civilization of the Chinese nation.

Can I take photos when visiting Mogao Grottoes?

No. Mogao Grottoes is closed and no light can be seen from the outside. Taking photos is not allowed in Mogao Grottoes because the flash will damage the murals and statues on the wall. The space inside the grottoes is small and there are many tourists. Stopping to take photos may cause chaos. The guide uses a special cold light flashlight.

Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, are located in Dunhuang at the western end of the Hexi Corridor. They were first built during the reign of Emperor Xuanzhao of the Former Qin Dynasty, Fu Jian.

Mogao Grottoes is a large-scale cave temple that integrates painting, sculpture and architectural art, with murals as the main feature and statues as the supplement.

The Mogao Grottoes murals provide important physical objects for the study of Chinese art history, and extremely valuable images and patterns for the study of ancient Chinese customs.