According to the Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty, the eminent monk Xuanzang went to India to seek Buddhist scriptures and passed by Guazhou. He felt that the people here were simple and enthusiastic and the frontiers were prosperous, so he stayed here for a long time.
At that time, Xuanzang was just a stowaway wanted by the court, but the local people treated him with great respect and gave him a lot of supplies.
Xuanzang was so moved that he lectured here for more than half a month and formed a deep friendship with the locals.
Because Buddhism had not yet flourished at that time and there were no large-scale Buddhist places, the place where scriptures were taught at that time was the Kumbum Monastery here.
When Xuanzang was lecturing here, he once said:
"If you don't reach Tianzhu, you will never return eastward" to express his determination to travel to the west!
Legend has it that the local people recorded this sentence and engraved it on a stone tablet, proving the friendship between Xuanzang and the people of Guazhou at that time.
But later, this stone tablet disappeared after wars. Many people also forgot this friendship that happened more than 1,000 years ago.
But this legend was later proven to be true
"Xin Zhi of Suzhou Reconstruction" records: "The broken stele in the Tang Dynasty is inside the temple foundation, and the calligraphy and painting are not very peeling off.
This text proves the fate between Xuanzang and the people of Guazhou at that time, and that the stone tablet really existed.
After the end of the Tang Dynasty, there were many wars and battles, accompanied by the change of dynasties.
This ancient city in the Western Regions has gone through vicissitudes of life and been transformed by desertification, and has lost its beauty.
Looking at the current state of Pagoda Temple, decadent and desolate, who would have thought that this was once a prosperous ancient city on the border, and Tang Monk once preached here.
What a majestic ancient pagoda and vast minefield!
From Suoyang City to the East Thousand Buddha Cave, you have to walk on two legs.
It was getting late, and walking on the Gobi Desert was no joke. If Xiaomi hadn't known the way, it would have been really difficult.
Fortunately, the journey was not far away. After nearly half an hour of bumpy roads, they finally reached the valley. This was the final destination of the trip, the East Thousand Buddha Cave.
As Xiaomi said, the Thousand Buddha Caves Scenic Area looks a bit shabby.
This location is in a desert area and is somewhat remote. The outside has not been much repaired. There is only one entrance and exit gate and no ticket sales point.
Before entering, you must buy a ticket outside Suoyang City. There is only one type of ticket, three special caves and one ordinary cave for a package price of 380 yuan.
They were walking in such a hurry that they didn't eat anything. Their mouths were dry and their stomachs were growling.
But this place is deserted, and no vendors are willing to come, not even one selling drinks and bread.
This made Yang Wumao and the others moan in pain and had to chew the biscuits they carried to satisfy their hunger.
After they entered, they discovered that there were no real administrators here, just an old couple looking after the caves.
The old man was dim-sighted and had no good temper. Only by showing tickets could he get the key to the cave and then take them in.
After the old man took them in, he coldly told them that they must leave before seven o'clock, otherwise they would close the door and leave alone.
A group of them were left in the grotto to move around freely.
This suited Chen Zhi's heart. He and Pang Wei turned on the flashlights they carried and began to explore forward.
Xiaomi has a strong sense of responsibility and kept explaining things to them from behind.
The East Thousand Buddha Cave, also known as Jieyin Temple, is located on both sides of the Changshanzi ancient river.
The caves are not big. There are 23 existing caves, eight of which have murals and statues, three on the east side and five on the west side. Most of them are single-room caves.
Because of its long history, many relics have been destroyed. There are still some statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, but most of them were rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. Only the statues of Xixia monks in cave 4, which are dressed in secular clothes, are well preserved.
As for the Qing Dynasty caves in Cave 1, 8 and 9, some of them may actually have been created during the Republic of China period and are not real ancient relics.
When Xiaomi said this, he was still a little emotional.
It is said that many people know the elegance of Mogao Grottoes and know that the cave murals there are treasures in the world.
Don't you know that the murals in the East Thousand Buddhas Cave are even older and are a real treasure house of ancient Xixia?
It's like a unique emerald among a bunch of jewelry, but no one cares about it.
Chen Zhi looked carefully along these murals. These paintings are indeed very old. Each one is wonderful and the painter is superb. They have a typical Xixia ancient painting style. Some of them are more flavorful than those in the Mogao Grottoes.
But these subtle things cannot be hidden from Chen Zhi's eyes. This kind of skill is superior to the painting skills of ordinary humans.
The security conditions here are indeed very different from those of the Mogao Grottoes. Probably due to financial reasons, the protection is very lacking. Some parts of the cave have collapsed, while others are severely weathered. When it rains, water seeps and is in danger of collapse at any time.
Xiaomi whispered to them along the way that the reason why the internal conditions of the East Thousand Buddha Cave are so poor is because it is not managed by the Dunhuang Academy, but by the Guazhou Cultural Relics Bureau.
Even if the mountain is high and the emperor is far away, they cannot take care of it.
Moreover, the area here is relatively small, and the artistic value is different compared to the Mogao Grottoes. There are no stars next to the sun, and no one is willing to donate money for maintenance. As a result, the place is dilapidated. The site will still face the possibility of extinction in the future. By then
But it's such a pity.
As they talked, they followed Xiaomi into Cave 2. It was dark and humid here and there were no tourists, so many things could be seen clearly.
The second cave is the best-preserved grotto here and the one with the highest artistic value. It is located on the lower level of the West Cliff and was excavated during the Western Xia Dynasty. It is the largest and richest cave in the East Thousand Buddhas Cave.
After entering this cave, I found that the top of the front corridor was painted with very bright patterns such as a single phoenix, double dragons and lotus. The south wall was painted with a hanging curtain and a row of male donors were painted below. The image and feeling were completely different from Han culture, and the back was blurry.
There seems to be some words, but I can't see them clearly now.
Xiaomi told them that there was an inscription in Xixia script with two lines and six characters next to the first male donor on this stone wall. A hanging curtain was painted on the north wall, and a row of six female donors was painted below. However, due to old disrepair,
It's already flooded now.
No one knows what those Tangut scripts are about, which is really a pity.
On the top of the cave in front of the cave, there are mandalas, sitting Buddhas, sermons, etc., but now about half of the area has been destroyed, which is quite a pity.
They continued to walk inside and saw three lotus pedestals on the west wall of the front wall of the cave, with a Buddha sitting on each of them. His body was golden and he was wearing a red cassock. The statue was in good condition, but from the appearance, it looked like
It was modified for the Qing Dynasty.
Xiaomi continued to take two steps forward, then pointed to a painting on the north and south walls at the back of the cave, and said to them emphatically:
"Bosses, look at this. This is the famous "Tantra Mandala". This Guanyin is wearing stockings!"
"Is there such a thing?" Fat Wei immediately became interested and went over to watch carefully.
There is indeed a statue of Guanyin directly there. Guanyin has a beautiful figure, wearing a midriff-baring top, a miniskirt, and traces of stockings on her legs, which seems to be an ancient Indian costume.
This kind of decorated Guanyin statue is really unique in the country.
"Hey, I'll go!" Fat Wei stared at her eyes and looked up and down for a long time.
“If you ask me, it’s better to be the ancients!
Look at this painting, it’s so...ah! That... has so much artistic value!"
"It's awesome!" Xiaomi said proudly,
"This is the treasure in the East Thousand Buddha Cave. It is known as the most beautiful Buddha in China and cannot be seen anywhere else. At first, many Indians came specially to see this Guanyin, saying that it was a masterpiece of Sino-Indian exchanges.
"
Go to the back of the cave and you will really enter the theme!
There is a stone mural there, which is the ultimate goal of their trip - "Xuan Zang's Journey to the West"