![]() ![]() Many are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, housing unique sculptures and murals in varying states of preservation. The enduring Buddhist caves in China are mainly scattered throughout the far west, mainly in Xinjiang, Gansu and the Yellow and Yangzi River regions. Most well-preserved Buddhist caves in China today It wasn’t until the 19th century that the caves began to be opened up again, as explorers and archaeologists from China and around the world started to rediscover their hidden treasures. ![]() Many Silk Road caves were looted for their treasures or cast from the cultural consciousness, becoming buried by the desert sands from which they were carved. Others were destroyed as cultural shifts in China meant that different religions and new ways of worship came to dominate certain parts of the country. Over the years, more and more cave sites, stretching further away from the Silk Road and deeper into China, would be excavated and decorated, matching closely the spread and acceptance of Buddhism across the country and showing an incredible development and change in artistic style as they moved.įeitian, or Flying Apsaras (cloud spirits) are a defining element in the Buddhist caves at Mogao © Keren Su / Getty ImagesĪs the millennia passed, however, and trade along the Silk Road lessened (thanks to increased sea transportation), many of the caves were abandoned or fell into disrepair. They would be centres of religious practice and cultural exchange, as well as valued stop-off points on the long, dangerous routes through central China. Indeed, many of the temples and holy sites on the Silk Road were used by merchants as banks or warehouses. Many Buddhist caves in China became the focus of worship and meditation not only for the communities of monks who would reside there, but also for visiting pilgrims and traders. ![]() These portraits of average travellers from bygone times have sat quietly in grottoes throughout western China, preserved for generations to come. Alongside these heavenly beings, however, more down to earth details were also depicted – Central Asian merchants, Indian monks in white robes and Chinese peasants working in the fields. These would be painted and highlighted in explosions of colour made from precious materials like lapis lazuli, indigo and real gold traded along the Silk Road. Within the excavated caves, which would take years to hollow out, monks and other followers would carve thousands of Buddhas, bodhisattvas (spiritual beings on the path to becoming Buddhas), apsaras (heavenly nymphs) and celestial musicians. Ornate carved bodhisattvas in one of the niches at Bingling Si © Megan Eaves / Lonely Planet Stories of the Silk RoadĬhina’s Buddhist caves were often chosen for their scenic beauty, sometimes by travelling monks who had had visions at a particular spot or who were attracted by its spiritual aura. ![]()
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