Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves

Bozikrik means "decorated home" in Uyghur. Bozikrik thousand Buddha cave is located in the middle part of Huoyan mountain, on the cliff on the West Bank of mugou valley.

The thousand Buddha cave was first excavated in the southern and Northern Dynasties and later dynasties. It has been one of the Buddhist centers in the western regions for seven centuries in the Tang, Five Dynasties, song and Yuan Dynasties. It is one of the most abundant caves and murals in Turpan. The murals are mainly centered on the large-scale portraits of standing Buddhas, such as the story paintings of "Buddha's origin and change", the story paintings of Buddhism, the story paintings of karma, and the statues of Thousand Buddhas. The purpose of the murals is to praise the Buddha Dharma for worshiping good men and women.

In history, the murals in the Grottoes have been destroyed many times. Today, the remaining murals and Buddha seats are still exquisite and gorgeous. The exquisite murals, ancient documents and other unearthed cultural relics here witness Turpan's glory as a Buddhist Center along the silk road.

There are 83 caves in total, 57 of which are extant. Among them, there are more than 40 murals, and only 9 are open to visitors.

Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves

Bozikrik thousand Buddha cave is located on the cliff on the West Bank of muugou, on the Huoyan mountain, 45 kilometers east of Turpan, Xinjiang. There are 83 caves, 57 of which are still in existence.

There are more than 40 murals in bozikrik thousand Buddha cave, with a total area of 1200 square meters. It is one of the largest caves and the most abundant murals in Turpan. It is one of the largest Buddhist cave temple sites in Xinjiang.

In 1982, the State Council announced the thousand Buddha cave in bozikrik as the second batch of national key cultural relics protection units.

Historical evolution

Bozikrik thousand Buddha cave is located at the foot of Huoyan mountain, 45km east of Turpan City, on the cliff on the West Bank of mutugou. There are 83 caves, 57 of which are still in existence. Among them, there are more than 40 murals, with a total area of 1200 square meters. Among the existing Grottoes in Turpan, there are the most caves and the most abundant murals. It is one of the larger Buddhist grotto temple sites in Xinjiang.

Bozikrik thousand Buddha cave has experienced a process of formation, prosperity and decline. Caves 17 and 18 were excavated in the late period of the southern and Northern Dynasties from the 6th century to the 7th century. Cave 16 was excavated in the middle Tang Dynasty.

The mural in cave 20 depicts the king and queen of Gaochang in Uighur. On the back wall of cave 33, there is a picture showing the silent mourning of the disciples after nirvana. Cave 38 is a cave reflecting the life of ancient Manichaeism. Cave 51 was built in Gaochang period of Uighur. Cave 69 is one of the caves in cave 20. Caves 82 and 83 are small-scale Memorial caves specially built for Buddhist monks during the reign of the Uighur king of Gaochang from the 10th century to the 11th century.

the most uncommon years and months of one 's life

Bozikrik thousand Buddha cave was first excavated in the late southern and Northern Dynasties. It has been a Buddhist Center in Gaochang area for seven centuries in Tang, Five Dynasties, song and Yuan Dynasties. Gaochang is the most prosperous period of the grottoes. At the end of the 13th century, the Gaochang royal family moved eastward to Yongchang, Gansu Province, and after Islam was introduced into Turpan, Buddhism gradually declined, and the thousand Buddha cave of bozikrik declined.

At the beginning of this century, it was repeatedly robbed and destroyed by Russia, Germany, Britain, Japan and other powers. The eyes of the characters in the murals were all dug out, and the thousand Buddha cave in bezkrik was even worse. Although it was seriously damaged, the remaining Buddha seats are gorgeous and exquisite. The remaining murals are rich in content and bright in color. The thousand Buddha cave in bozikrik is still a large-scale treasure house of culture and art. It was announced by the State Council as a national key cultural relics protection unit in 1982.

Relevant background

There are more than ten Grottoes in Turpan, which are collectively called Gaochang grottoes and Qiuci Grottoes in Xinjiang, represented by Dunhuang Grottoes and Yungang Longmen Grottoes

Gaochang Grottoes is one of the four representative Buddhist grottoes in the world. Bozikrik Grottoes is one of the most abundant caves and murals in Gaochang grottoes. It used to be the royal temple of Gaochang Uighur state. In 1982, it was listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit.

Bozikrik grottoes are located on the West Bank of muugou River in Huoyanshan gorge, about 40 km northeast of Turpan City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. "Bozikrik" means "mountainside" in Uyghur. The caves are scattered on the cliffs about one kilometer away from the West Bank of the river valley. They are built in three layers. There are 83 existing caves, including more than 40 murals, with a total area of 1200 square meters.

Cultural relics protection

Baizikrik thousand Buddha cave was listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit in 1982. The bozikrik grottoes were first excavated in the Qushi gaochangguo period (499-640). Caves 18, 29 and 48 belong to this period. Cave 18 is a large-scale central pillar cave, which is the earliest cave group to see the contents of murals. The front chamber, corridor and the lower part of the tunnel were repainted in the early period of Gaochang Uighur kingdom. Only the upper part and the top of the tunnel completely preserved the contents of the early murals, that is, the painting of four type flat base pattern, the Thousand Buddhas with round collar and shoulder style cassock on the side wall, and the gesture of holding hands in front of the abdomen is different At the junction of the top and the side wall, the purlin and Fang are depicted realistically in imitation of wood structure.

After the development of Qushi Gaochang Kingdom, bozhicrick was named "ningrong Temple" in the Tang Dynasty. It was an important Buddhist temple center in Xinjiang, and won the title for a long time. The fact that most of Beiting protected Yang Xigu and rebuilt temples shows that the bozikrik Grottoes had developed into a Buddhist holy land in Xiting area at that time. There are caves No. 16, 17, 25, 27, 31, 42 and 69 belonging to this period. A considerable part of the above caves were repainted after the 11th century. During this period, the mural themes were mainly large-scale economic change paintings originated in the Central Plains. The new painting style of the prosperous Tang Dynasty entered the Gaochang grottoes, pushing the artistic skill of line modeling to the peak. The lines of the picture are simple and smooth, vigorous and powerful, with only a few strokes and both form and spirit.

Decorative pattern

During the period of Gaochang Uighur state, ningrong Temple became a royal temple, where most of the Gaochang kings built caves. The most abundant remains of bozikrik grottoes are from the Gaochang Uighur period. The typical caves of this period include caves 14, 20, 31, 33, 39, 41 and 82.

Murals have more abundant themes than before. There are various Buddhas, various Bodhisattvas, large-scale Scripture paintings, allegorical pictures, thousand Buddha cave, the ranks of offering Bodhisattvas, eight heavenly dragons, four heavenly kings, offering people and offering bhikkhu, and various decorative patterns. There are also the stories of the original life that reflect the Buddhist's sincere devotion to Buddhism in countless previous lives and finally become a Buddha himself "The method of initial transformation" and the subjects of MI Du.

Historical mark

Bozikrik grottoes were excavated in the 4th century AD and flourished in 840 years, with 83 caves. From 1904 to 1913, 90% of the murals in bozikrik were cut by four expeditions and transported abroad in batches. They are now collected in the Indian Art Museum in Berlin, Germany, the amitash Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, the National Museum in Tokyo, Japan, the British Museum, the National Museum of India and the National Museum of Korea.

Tourism information

get accommodation

The accommodation in Turpan city has a major feature. Almost every hotel in the city has a vineyard or grape trellis, and every hotel has Xinjiang Uygur song and dance performances, so that guests can walk, rest and taste grapes under the grapevine. Can also find a variety of grades of hotels and hotels, more high-end Turpan Hotel, Youth Road Turpan Hotel, Oasis Hotel. If you want to spend the night in grapevine Valley, you can choose grapevine villa in grapevine Valley, which is a two-star hotel.

Economic hostels can be found everywhere in Turpan. The price range is 25-50 yuan. The peak period of Turpan tourism is from June to September. Rooms may be very tight. It's better to consult and book in advance, or call a hotel as soon as you get off the bus.

If you go to Turpan in summer, you must stay in a hotel with air conditioning. Without air conditioning, the temperature is unbearable.

delicious food

Noodles, commonly known as La tiaozi, is a kind of wheat flour product made directly by hand without rolling or pressing. It is a kind of noodles dish (delicious). The sliver is made of fine flour and flour. It is round in shape, hence its name. In the flavor snacks, latianzi is very popular among people of all ethnic groups. It is flexible and slender, mellow and smooth, and tastes unique.

specialty

Grape, palazi, flower cap, seedless grape and other specialties. The seedless white grape was called "Sudan" in ancient Persia, "white kishmish" in Central Asia, and "qishimishi", "green grape" and "rabbit eye" in ancient China.

other

Admission: 40 yuan

Opening hours: all day

Address: on the cliff on the West Bank of mugou Valley in the middle section of Huoyan mountain, 45 km east of Turpan City

Travel notes

1. As the thousand Buddha cave is located on the cliff mountainside, please do not visit the unopened area to avoid danger.

2. It is not allowed to take photos and video in Qianfo cave. Please pay attention when you visit, otherwise you will face the punishment of exposure and fine.

3. Please don't touch murals, smoke in caves, etc.

4. For other visit items, please pay attention to

Chinese PinYin : Bai Zi Ke Li Ke Qian Fo Dong