How were the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes discovered?

The Mogao Grottoes are one of the important cultural heritages of China and a very classic ancient culture. The Mogao Grottoes were excavated during the pre-Qin period of the Sixteen Kingdoms and went through the Sixteen Kingdoms. After the Mogao Grottoes were excavated in the former Qin Dynasty, the country gradually excavated them better.

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 inside were gradually lost. After its establishment, it was once again regarded as a key protection object. There are three famous caves with the same name as Mogao Grottoes. They are: Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi Province, Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan Province, and Maiji Grottoes in Tianshui, Gansu Province. They are also known as the four famous caves. cave.

Since the time when the Mogao Grottoes were excavated, through several dynasties, the Mogao Grottoes have been continuously repaired and expanded, and their scale has continued to expand. There are 735 caves in the Mogao Grottoes. The murals in the caves are 45,000 square meters long and there are 2,415 colorful clay sculptures in the caves. They are known as the Thousand Buddha Cave by the world. The Mogao Grottoes have high historical and cultural value. They are the largest and richest Buddhist art site 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 murals and thousands of clay sculptures. It is an important symbol of Buddhism, and it has experienced the changes of several dynasties, so it has high historical and cultural significance and is a treasure of Chinese culture.

It can be seen from the time when the Mogao Grottoes were excavated that it has a high historical value. It has witnessed the changes 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's experience.

Who was the first to excavate the Mogao Grottoes

Although Dunhuang City in Gansu Province, China is now just a small border town in the northwest, it was once an important stop on the ancient Silk Road. The discovery of the Mogao Grottoes also made this once-lost town famous all over the world again. So who was the first to excavate the Mogao Grottoes?

Pictures of the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes

To understand who was the first to excavate the Mogao Grottoes, we must learn from the Discovery begins. Mogao Grottoes spans between Mingsha Mountain and Sanwei Mountain in Dunhuang. It is famous both at home and abroad for its rich and diverse Buddha carvings, exquisite murals, and various clay sculptures. The Mogao Grottoes attract tens of thousands of tourists every year. The sculpture art of Buddha statues and exquisite murals in the Mogao Grottoes amaze countless people and never leave. At present, there are more than 700 Buddha statues in Mogao Grottoes, more than 40,000 square meters of murals, and countless various clay sculptures. The Mogao Grottoes were also announced as a national key cultural protection object by the Chinese State Council in 1961, and in 1987, the Mogao Grottoes were included in the World Cultural Heritage. So? Who was the first person to carve and build such an exquisite and magical stone building? Who was the first to excavate it?

According to historical records and research by many scholars and experts, it is now unanimously confirmed that he was a A monk named Le Zun. In the second year of Jianyuan of the former Qin Dynasty, Le Zun traveled around the world and passed by Mingsha Mountain. Suddenly he saw a golden light shining, as if ten thousand Buddhas were coming, so he dug the first cave in the rock wall. After that, it was continuously excavated, and after several generations of continuous excavation and construction, it became the current scale. With the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, Dunhuang will surely attract more people's attention. The Mogao Grottoes will definitely become a shining pearl along the Belt and Road Initiative, attracting more tourists from home and abroad to come and visit.

The historical background of the excavation of the Mogao Grottoes

When it comes to the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, it can be said that everyone knows it. It is also one of China's important cultural heritages, so the Mogao Grottoes What is the historical background of the excavation?

Pictures of the Mogao Grottoes

The Mogao Grottoes were excavated during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Pre-Qin Dynasty. According to the historical record "Li Kerang Rebuilt the Buddhist Shrine in the Mogao Grottoes It is recorded in the book "Stele" that a monk once passed by this mountain and suddenly found a place with shining golden light, as if there were tens of thousands of Buddhas, so he dug the first cave on the rock wall there. Later, another Zen master named Fa Liang also came to this place to build a cave to practice meditation, and called the dug cave "Mogao Grotto" because the cave got its name because it was located high in the desert. Later, because the world used the word "desert" and "momo" interchangeably, it was renamed Mogao Grottoes.

In the Northern Wei, Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties, the rulers highly respected Buddhism, so the expansion of the Mogao Grottoes was supported by many princes and nobles. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Silk Road was very prosperous, and the Mogao Grottoes also achieved greater prosperity. By the time of Wu Zetian, the number of caves had reached more than a thousand. However, after the Anshi Rebellion, the Mogao Grottoes were greatly affected and tended to gradually decline. At that time, the damaged caves were mainly renovated, and very few were expanded. After the Yuan Dynasty, the expansion of the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes was stopped, and they gradually fell into neglect and neglect. It was not until the Qianlong period, when Qianlong changed Shazhou to Dunhuang County and Dunhuang's economy began to recover, that the Mogao Grottoes began to attract people's attention again and were expanded again.

It can be seen from the historical background of the excavation of the Mogao Grottoes that the Mogao Grottoes have experienced several dynasties and were treated differently in each dynasty, but mainly they have been expanded on a large scale. Has high historical value.

Where were the Mogao Grottoes excavated?

According to historical records, together with the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan, the Yungang Grottoes in Datong, Shanxi, and the Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui, Gansu, they are also known as the four largest caves in China. The Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes were built during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, that is, in 336 AD. It is 1,680 meters long from north to south, connecting Dangquan and the Qilian Mountain branch. So where were the Mogao Grottoes excavated?

Pictures of the Mogao Grottoes

According to data, the Mogao Grottoes were excavated at the eastern foot of Mingsha Mountain, 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang City. On the cliff. Legend has it that the monk Le Zun passed by here and saw a golden light, which was like the light of the Buddha. He was inspired and dug the first Buddhist cave on the rock wall. In Buddhism, building Buddhist caves can gain infinite merit. Therefore, after Lezun, many monks came here to build Buddhist caves, thinking that there is no higher merit than this. Originally it was called "Mogao Grottoes", but because the characters "mo" and "mo" are interchangeable, it was renamed "Mogao Grottoes".

So why were the Mogao Grottoes excavated in this place? The reason is very simple. The Mogao Grottoes were excavated on the mysterious Hexi Corridor and the Ancient Silk Road. The culture here is complex, with the mystery of the Western Regions and the simplicity of the Central Plains. In ancient times, it was an important connection between the mainland and the Western Regions, and a trade gateway between China and Asia and Europe. Buddhists believe that India is the place where Sakyamuni became a Buddha, so this is the only way for Buddhist disciples to pursue the true way.

In ancient times, this place was not prosperous, but there were large areas of yellow sand. Perhaps it was the beautiful and clean yellow sand that conquered the monks who came here. The calm yellow sand allowed the wind to dance to a beautiful rhythm, allowing the monks to leave precious history and Buddhist wealth here. The excavation of the Mogao Grottoes was very difficult because many of the murals and Buddha statues were weathered, so in order to preserve imagination and wisdom, we had to be careful. Now, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes have become a cultural heritage and are open to tourists free of charge, allowing tourists from all over the world to experience the charm of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.