Pictures of Mogao grottoes
However, it was not until the Yuan Dynasty that the Mogao Grottoes began to decline, few people expanded it, and many cultural relics in it gradually lost. Until the establishment of People's Republic of China (PRC), it was once again taken as a key protection object. There are three grottoes along with the Mogao Grottoes, namely Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi, Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan, and McKee Grottoes in Tianshui, Gansu, which are also called the Four Grottoes.
Since the Mogao grottoes were excavated, after several dynasties, the Mogao grottoes have been continuously repaired and expanded, and the scale has been continuously expanded. There are 735 caves in the Mogao Grottoes, with 45,000 square meters of murals and 24 15 colored sculptures in the caves, which are called "Thousand Buddha Cave" by the world. The Mogao Grottoes have high historical and cultural values. It is the largest and richest Buddhist art place in the world. The reason why the Mogao Grottoes have such high cultural value is not only because it was excavated early, but also because it has thousands of caves, tens of thousands of long murals and thousands of clay sculptures. As an important symbol of Buddhism, it has experienced several dynasties, so it has high historical and cultural significance and is a treasure of China culture.
From the excavation time of the Mogao Grottoes, we can see that it has high historical value, witnessed the replacement of several historical dynasties, and has been continuously improved and expanded. It is one of the treasures in history and culture, and let future generations know the historical significance it represents. It is not only a cultural heritage, but also shows people the history of China.
Who was the first person to dig the Mogao Grottoes?
Dunhuang City, Gansu Province, China is just a small town in the northwest, but it was once an important post station on the ancient Silk Road. The discovery of Mogao Grottoes also made this once lost town famous again. So who was the first person to dig the Mogao Grottoes?
Dunhuang Mogao grottoes pictures
If you want to know who dug the Mogao grottoes first, you should start with the discovery of the Mogao grottoes. Mogao Grottoes are located between Mingsha Mountain and Sanwei Mountain in Dunhuang. It is famous at home and abroad for its rich and varied Buddha statues, exquisite murals and various clay sculptures. Every year, the Mogao Grottoes attract thousands of tourists, and countless people are amazed by the carving art and exquisite murals of the Buddha statues in the Mogao Grottoes. At present, there are more than 700 Buddha statues, more than 40,000 square meters of murals and many clay sculptures. 196 1 year, the Mogao grottoes were also listed as national key cultural protection objects in the State Council, China. 1987, the Mogao grottoes were even listed as world cultural heritage. So what? Who carved and built such a beautiful and magical stone carving building first? Who dug it first?
According to historical records and textual research by many scholars and experts, it is unanimously confirmed that he is a monk named Lezun. In the second year of Jian Yuan in the former Qin Dynasty, Le Zun traveled around the world and passed by Mingsha Mountain. Suddenly he saw a golden light shining like a million buddhas, so he dug the first hole in the rock wall. After continuous excavation, after several generations of continuous excavation and construction, it has become the present scale. With the construction of the Belt and Road, Dunhuang will surely attract more attention. The Mogao Grottoes will also become a pearl along the Belt and Road, attracting more domestic and foreign tourists to watch and visit.
Historical background of the excavation of Mogao grottoes
Speaking of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, everyone knows. It is also one of the important cultural heritages in China. What is the historical background of the excavation of Mogao Grottoes?
Pictures of Mogao grottoes
The excavation time of Mogao Grottoes was in the Sixteen Kingdoms period before Qin Dynasty. According to the history book "Li Kerang Rebuilds the Monument of Mogao Grottoes", once a monk passed by this mountain and suddenly found that there were tens of thousands of Buddhists, so he dug the first hole in the rock wall. Later, a Zen master named Fa Liang also came here, built a cave to practice Zen, and called the dug cave? Desert grottoes? This cave is named because it is located high in the desert. Later, because of the world? Desert? With what? Mo? GM, so it was renamed Mogao Grottoes.
During the Northern Wei, Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties, the rulers respected Buddhism, so the expansion of the Mogao Grottoes was supported by many princes and nobles. By the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Silk Road at that time had been very prosperous, and the Mogao Grottoes had also been more prosperous. Until Wu Zetian, there were more than 1000 caves. However, after the Anshi Rebellion, the Mogao Grottoes were greatly influenced and tended to decline gradually. At that time, the damaged caves were mainly repaired and rarely expanded. After the Yuan Dynasty, the expansion of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes was stopped and gradually abandoned. It was not until the Qianlong period that Shazhou was changed to Dunhuang County and the Dunhuang economy began to recover that the Mogao Grottoes began to be noticed and re-expanded.
From the historical background of the excavation of the Mogao Grottoes, it can be seen that the Mogao Grottoes have experienced several dynasties, and the treatment of each dynasty is different, but it is mainly a large-scale expansion, which has high historical value.
Where was the Mogao Grottoes dug?
According to historical records, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, which are also known as the four largest grottoes in China, together with Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Shanxi, Yungang Grottoes in Datong and Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, Gansu, were founded in the Sixteen Kingdoms period, that is, in 336 AD. The length from north to south is1680m, connecting Dangquan and the branch of Qilian Mountain. So where was the Mogao Grottoes dug?
Pictures of Mogao grottoes
According to the data, the Mogao Grottoes were dug on the cliff at the eastern foot of Mingsha Mountain, 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang City. Legend has it that Monk Le Zun passed by here and saw that golden light was better than Buddha's light, so he had a brainwave and dug the first Buddha's cave in the rock wall. In Buddhism, building a Buddhist cave can gain endless merits. Therefore, after Lezun, many monks came here to build Buddha caves, thinking that there was no higher merit. Originally called? Desert grottoes? Because Mo and Mo are interchangeable words, they were renamed? Mogao grottoes? .
So why dig the Mogao Grottoes in this place? There is a simple reason. The Mogao Grottoes were dug in the mysterious Hexi Corridor and the ancient Silk Road. The culture here is very complicated, including the mystery of the western regions and the simplicity of the Central Plains. In ancient times, it was an important link between the mainland and the western regions, and it was also the trade gateway between China and Eurasia. Buddhists believe that India is the place where Sakyamuni became a Buddha, so it is also the only way for Buddhist disciples to pursue truth.
In ancient times, it was not prosperous here, but there was a large area of yellow sand. Perhaps the beautiful and clean yellow sand conquered the monks who came here. The calm yellow sand makes the wind drive them to dance with beautiful rhythm, leaving precious historical and Buddhist wealth to the monks here. The excavation of the Mogao Grottoes is very difficult, because many murals and Buddha statues have weathered, so we can only be cautious in order to preserve our imagination and wisdom. Now, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes has become a cultural heritage, and it is open to tourists free of charge, so that tourists from all over the world can appreciate the charm of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.