Xinjiang Damagou Small Buddhist Temple: "The smallest ancient Buddhist temple in the world", covering an area of ??only 4 square meters

"The smallest ancient Buddhist temple in the world" actually refers to the "Toplu Ke Dun No. 1 Small Buddhist Temple" in the Damagou ancient Buddhist ruins in Xinjiang.

The Little Buddha Temple is located at the southern end of the Taklimakan Desert and at the northern foot of the Kunlun Mountains, in Damagou Town, Cele County, Hotan, Xinjiang.

The Small Buddhist Temple No. 1 in Topluk Dun was discovered in 2002. It is a miniature temple-style Buddhist temple. This kind of miniature temple-style Buddhist temple is very rare in Xinjiang. Therefore, it has become "the smallest ancient Buddhist temple in the world." ” is the smallest ancient Buddhist temple excavated so far in the world.

The Small Buddha Temple is square as a whole, 2 meters long from north to south, 1.7 meters wide from east to west, with an area of ??about 4 square meters and a residual height of 1.5 meters.

Although the sparrow is small, it has all the internal organs. Although the Small Buddhist Temple No. 1 in Topluk Dun is small, it has the basics of a Buddhist temple: it has buildings, sculptures, and murals, and various Buddhist worship activities can be carried out inside.

Because it is located in a desert and has a dry climate, although the Small Buddhist Temple has been sleeping in the sand sea for thousands of years, it was still relatively well preserved when it was unearthed.

The main cultural relics unearthed are a relatively well-preserved bust of Buddha, as well as a number of colorful Mahayana Buddhist murals on the four remaining walls inside the ancient temple.

The Buddha's body faces north and faces south. His head and hands are missing, and he is sitting in a lotus position. It dates from the Northern and Southern Dynasties between the 6th and 7th centuries AD.

The age of the murals on the wall is different from that of the sculptures. They are roughly from the mid-Tang Dynasty. The content is Mahayana Buddhism that is not common in the Taklimakan area. Although the Buddhist temple is small, the murals are exquisite and well-preserved. It is an ancient Buddhist temple that has been discovered in the Taklimakan Desert. It has the largest preserved area among Buddhist temple murals.

According to archaeologists’ judgment on the overall architecture, sculptures and murals of the Topluk Dun No. 1 Small Buddhist Temple, the Toplu Ke Dun No. 1 Small Buddhist Temple has a history of 1500-1800 years. Built in the 6th-7th century AD, it was probably located in the territory of the ancient "Khotan Kingdom".

In ancient times, Khotan was not only an important place on the Silk Road, with a gathering of humanities and merchants, it was also a famous Buddhist place in the ancient Western Regions, with numerous temples, eminent monks, and an endless stream of faithful men and women.

In the book "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" written by Tang Xuanzang, an eminent monk of the Tang Dynasty, it was recorded that in the ancient Khotan Kingdom, "there were many pagodas, monks gathered, the people were peaceful, and Buddhism was prosperous".

When archaeologists excavated the small Buddhist temple No. 1 in Topluk Dun, they discovered another Buddhist site near it.

Therefore, the earliest discovered small Buddhist temple is called Toplukedun No. 1 Small Buddhist Temple, and the newly discovered site is called Toplukedun No.2 Buddhist Temple. Immediately afterwards, during the excavation of Buddhist temple No. 2 in Topluk Dun, Buddhist temple No. 3 in Topluk Dun was discovered.

Buddhist Temple No. 2 dates from the Tang Dynasty and is in the shape of a corridor. Many of the unearthed cultural relics are related to Esoteric Buddhism. Among them, the fragments of the Thousand Buddhas mural in the cloister and the wood panel paintings of Vairocana Buddha are all archaeological evidence of Xinjiang Buddhist Esoteric Buddhism. major discoveries.

Buddhist Temple No. 3 dates from the Tang Dynasty. It looks like a comprehensive building as a whole, with a square courtyard, monk rooms, and a kitchen for cooking. Most of the unearthed murals are about secular social life. Many of them are The characters are all dressed in typical Tang Dynasty and Han style costumes.

Based on various information such as the architectural form, layout, and unearthed cultural relics of the three sites, archaeologists inferred that "Buddhist Temples No. 1, 2, and 3 should be part of a large Buddhist temple."

Buddhist Temple No. 1 is the earliest and is the first building of the temple; Buddhist Temple No. 2 is the main building and is an important place for monks and believers to worship Buddha and hold Buddhist rituals; Buddhist Temple No. 3 is the abbot and It is a place where many monks live, study, discuss scriptures, receive guests and hold some important gatherings.

The Toplukedun Buddhist Temple Group is just one of the many ancient Buddhist sites in Damagou, Xinjiang. Around Damagou in Hotan, Xinjiang, there are also Dandan Urik, Balewasti, and Laoda. Magou, Hadrik, Uzuntati, Kekejigedai, Kalaxin...and other Buddhist sites.

These ancient Buddhist sites are roughly distributed in five river basins: Hotan River, Keriya River, Niya River, Cele River and Sangzhu River. Among them, the Hotan River Basin has the most ancient Buddhist sites. .

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