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The Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha
Caves
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The Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha Caves,
48 kilometers northeast of the Turpan urban area, are located
in the Flaming Mountains' Mutou Valley.They were called the
Ningrong Grottoes in the Tang dynasty. There are 77 numbered
grottoes, about 40 of which still have murals in them.The
group of grottoes in Bizaklik, with a total of 1,200 square
meters of murals, has the most grottoes, most diversified
architectural styles and the richest mural content in the
Turpan area. The oldest grottoes were hewn in the period of
Qushi Gaochang from the Tang dynasty right up to the Yuan
dynasty in the thirteenth century. It was an important Buddhist
gathering place. Its most prosperous period was under the
reign of the Xizhou Huigu government, which was built the
royal temple of the King of existing grottoes were extended
or reconstructed during the Huigu period. Huigu on this site.
Most of the Even today, one can still see on the remaining
Buddhist murals the features of the King and Queen of Huigu
and people of different status, as well as scenes of the lives
of ancient Uygur people. Inscriptions in the ancient Huigu,
Chinese and Brahmi languages are valuable materials for research
on the written languages and history of Xinjiang's various
nationalities, and Uygur in particular. The murals depicting
"Buddhist disciples wailing in mourning" and "Bhikku
wailing in mourning" on the back wall of the Grotto No.33
are rare artistic pieces which depict the inner feelings of
the figures with vivid images and individual characteristics.
The ancient instruments shown in the mural depicting "Female
Dancers on Performance" in Grotto No.16 and the mural
of "Transformation in the Hell" in Grotto No.17
are seldom seen in Buddhist grottoes in China . |
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