Dunhuang - Mogao Grottos

After our fun days in Shanghai we joined the Fun For Less tour group to start our Silk Road adventure.  First stop was Dunhuang, China where we toured the Mogao Caves which is home to the world's richest collection of Buddhist manuscripts and art.  Construction began in 386 AD and continued for the next 900 years.  The caves were first places of meditation for hermit monks but developed to serve the monasteries that sprang up nearby.  I didn't know that in addition to the goods that traveled this way, Buddhism made its way from India to China along this route.  Merchants shared their religious beliefs as they traveled the Silk Road and Buddhism became the predominant religion of China.

 Using funds from donors, monks constructed these caves which were elaborately painted, the cave painting and architecture served as aids to meditation and teaching tools to inform the illiterate about Buddhist beliefs and stories. 

The major caves were sponsored by patrons such as important clergy, local rulers, foreign dignitaries and Chinese emperors. 

Other caves may have been funded by merchants, military officers or local groups. 

I particularly liked the statues. 

The paintings that depicted everyday life were interesting too. 

There are over 2000 murals and sculptures, now carefully preserved behind wooden doors. 

The 1st of many things that I'd never heard of but thoroughly enjoyed seeing. 

It is always fun to share these adventures with John and Katherine.