Stories and legends about the Mogao Grottoes 1. Legends about the Mogao Grottoes
Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Cave, are located on the east bank of Daquangou, 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang City, Gansu Province, between Sanwei Mountain and Mingsha Mountain, with a length of about 1,61 meters from north to south.
It is like a bright pearl, embedded in the blue sky and yellow sand, on the ancient Silk Road, which runs through cultural exchanges and friendly exchanges between China and foreign countries. According to the inscriptions in the Tang Dynasty, the Mogao Grottoes were built in the second year of Jian Yuan before Qin Dynasty (AD 366).
Legend has it that a monk named Le Zun traveled here, and suddenly he saw the Three Dangers Mountain in the east shining with gold and facing the sunset, as if thousands of Buddhas appeared in the golden light, so he thought it was a Buddhist holy place and raised money to dig the first grottoes. The news spread, and business travelers and officials traveling to and from the Silk Road built Buddhist caves here in succession, praying for a safe journey.
By the Tang Dynasty, there were more than 1, caves and niches. The Five Dynasties, the Song Dynasty, the Xixia Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty continued to build.
after natural and man-made destruction. Up to now, 492 grottoes of different generations, 45, square meters of murals, more than 2,4 painted sculptures and 5 wooden buildings in Tang and Song Dynasties have been preserved, which is the world's oldest, richest, largest and most complete cultural and artistic treasure house.
If the murals in various caves are connected, a magnificent gallery with a height of 1m and a length of 22.5km can be formed. If the scriptures, documents and silk paintings in the Tibetan Sutra Cave are studied together with all other precious cultural relics in the Mogao Grottoes, it will be a vast "Dunhuang studies". The "Tibetan Sutra Cave", which is now compiled into 17 caves, is the essence of the Mogao Grottoes.
There are more than 4, pieces of scriptures, ancient books, documents, embroidered paintings, bronze statues, etc. in nearly 1 dynasties from the first year of the establishment of Xiliang to the first year of Daoism. The characters are Han, Tibetan, Brahma, Khotan, Qiuci, Sogdian, Tuque, etc. Books include manuscripts, woodcut prints, rubbings and so on.
These rare treasures are not only of great value to the trapping and collating of ancient Chinese documents, but also provide extremely valuable historical materials for the study of ancient politics, economy, culture, art, religion, science, national history and foreign exchanges. The most magnificent thing about Mogao Grottoes is the mural art.
Although the murals have been eroded by wind and sand for thousands of years, they are still bright in color and clear in line drawing. Looking around the cave and the top of the cave, there are paintings of flying sky, geisha music, bodhisattvas, fairies and so on everywhere, which means that "the clothes are flying in the sky and the walls are full of wind."
besides Buddhist stories, Bunsen stories, Buddhist historical sites, legends of gods and monsters, emperors' lives, decorative patterns, etc., there are also a large number of folk customs and pictures. Such as hunting, farming, fishing, harvesting, grinding, rice husking, building houses and other production customs; Life customs such as weddings, funerals, travel, medical practice, tonsure and sweeping; Image depiction of transportation and production tools such as vehicles, boats, pears, flails, spinning wheels and looms; There are customs and scenes in schools, restaurants, slaughterhouses, hotels, markets and other places; There are pavilions, pavilions, palaces, pagodas, courtyards, bridges and other architectural patterns; There is also a vivid portrayal of music, dance, acrobatics, festivals and other entertainment activities. It is really an encyclopedia of ancient Dunhuang folk customs.
2. Please tell me the myths, legends or stories about Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. Thank you.
Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes are the general name of Mogao Grottoes and the West Thousand Buddha Caves in Dunhuang City, Gansu Province. They are one of the three famous grottoes in China and the largest and best-preserved treasure house of Buddhist art in the world.
the Mogao grottoes is located 25 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang city, and it was dug on the following cliff at the foot of Minghao Mountain. In the second year of Fujian's founding in the former Qin Dynasty (AD 366), a Buddhist monk went everywhere, and when he saw the golden light on Mingsha Mountain, it looked like a thousand buddhas, so he made a heart of digging, and then it was built continuously, and it became a Buddhist holy place, named Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Cave.
China Grottoes Art In India, the traditional grottoes in India are mainly made of stone carvings, while the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang are mainly made of clay murals because the rocks are not suitable for carving. Generally, the whole cave used to be round, then gradually faded into
high-plastic, shadow-plastic and wall-plastic, and finally, with the mural as the background, the two arts of plastic and painting were integrated. There were more than a thousand caves in the Mogao Grottoes in the Tang Dynasty, and there are 492 existing caves, including 32 caves in Wei, 11 caves in Sui, 247 caves in Tang, 36 caves in the Five Dynasties, 45 caves in Song and 8 caves in Yuan.
In the Northern Dynasties, the main statues in caves were usually Sakyamuni or Maitreya, and the two sides of the main statues were mostly two threatened bodhisattvas or one Buddha, two disciples and two bodhisattvas. The back of the statue is mostly connected with murals. The top and walls of the cave are covered with murals. Most of the top and upper parts are Tiangong geisha music. The lower part is a hag or decorative pattern. In addition to thousands of buddhas, the murals in central China mainly draw stories of Buddhism, Bunsen and karma. Among them, Bunsen stories include cutting meat to save pigeons, giving one's life to feed tigers, and Jiuse Deer House saving people.
the sui and Tang dynasties were the heyday of the Mogao grottoes, and the style of the hundred grottoes in the sui dynasty was changed from the central tower in the northern dynasty to the central Buddhist altar, with the same image as before. In Tang Dynasty, there appeared a combination of the same, two disciples, two heavenly kings or two powerful men. The statue has also returned to the appearance of "rich and strong" from the early "skinny and delicate" shape. The murals in the grottoes are mainly pictures of big scenes and simple pictures of changes. The largest statues in the Mogao Grottoes were all made in the Tang Dynasty, and the giant Buddha in Cave 96 is the largest statue in the Mogao Grottoes. The main statue of Nirvana in Cave 148 is the largest group of colored sculptures in Mogao Grottoes. The murals in the Tang Dynasty are varied and varied, and their scale is extremely grand, showing a magnificent picture of the kingdom of heaven. Grottoes lost their vitality in the Five Dynasties in the Song Dynasty, and began to decline in the Song Dynasty.
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3. Legends about the Mogao Grottoes
Legend has it that one day in 336 AD, a monk named Le Zun traveled around here, and it was dusk, only to see the three dangerous mountains opposite the Mogao Grottoes shining with gold, as if thousands of Buddhas were dancing.
He knelt down and made a great wish. From now on, he will make alms widely available, build caves and statues here, and make it truly a holy place. In the entrance of the Mogao Grottoes filled with yellow sand, there are precious Buddhist classics buried, and anyone who gets these classics is likely to ascend to the sky and become beyond The six great divisions in the wheel of karma.
Although I don't know whether this legend is true or not, it has attracted the covet of evil spirits. Red Snake and Scorpion: It is said that it is a completely unintentional creature, and it swims in the desert only to find more water every day.
human blood is its favorite. Descendant of Lei nationality: He had the opportunity to inherit the cause of his ancestors and become a god above heaven.
but the crazy pursuit of power made him finally fall. So people saw him in the Mogao Grottoes and kept looking for him, hoping to return to heaven with magical classics.
Black snake and scorpion: It seems to be a relative of red snake and scorpion, but different from red snake and scorpion, they begin to become wise after sucking a lot of human blood, and of course they are more ruthless. Ghost-faced bat tigers: They have horrible faces like spectres, and the force between their arms is endless, which can easily tear people's bodies apart.
They don't appear here for treasure, but they have the same appetite for treasure hunters' bodies as for food. Flying Sand Thief: This is a group of treasure hunters from foreign countries, but they don't have any news about the treasure, and they don't want to trust any partners. They just look for it alone.
Their jealousy makes them hate anyone who might take the treasure before them.
4. Scenery, stories and legends of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
Mogao Grottoes, also known as "Thousand Buddha Cave", is one of the three treasure houses of grottoes art in China, and is regarded as the most valuable cultural discovery in the 2th century. It is located in Dunhuang at the western end of Hexi Corridor and is famous for its exquisite murals and statues.
it was founded in the pre-Qin period of sixteen countries, and it has been built in sixteen countries, Northern Dynasties, Sui Dynasty, Tang Dynasty, Five Dynasties, Xixia Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty and other dynasties, forming a huge scale. There are 735 caves, 45, square meters of murals and 2,415 muddy colored sculptures, making it the largest and most abundant Buddhist art shrine in the world.
The artistic features of the Mogao Grottoes are mainly manifested in the organic combination of architecture, statues and murals. Cave-shaped organizational system is divided into Zen Cave, Palace Cave, Tower Temple Cave, Dome Cave and Shadow Cave. Colored plastic is divided into round plastic, floating plastic, shadow plastic and good plastic. Mural paintings are divided into statue paintings, historical paintings, story paintings, Buddhist historical paintings, architectural paintings, landscape paintings, animal paintings, decorative paintings and other different contents, which systematically reflect all aspects of cultural exchanges between the East and the West in more than ten dynasties, such as the Sixteen Kingdoms, the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Western Wei Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty, the Five Dynasties, the Song Dynasty, the Xixia Dynasty and the Yuan Dynasty, and have become rare cultural treasures of mankind.
The Mogao Grottoes is also a veritable treasure house of cultural relics. More than 5, pieces of scriptures, documents, embroidery and portraits have been unearthed in the Tibetan Sutra Cave, which is of great artistic value. Unfortunately, due to the turbulent society at that time, the corrupt Ming and Qing governments and the neglect of management by Taoist Wang Yuanlu, almost all of these treasures were stolen abroad. Now, under the Three Dangers Mountain opposite the Mogao Grottoes, the Dunhuang Art Exhibition Center has been built by Dunhuang Research Institute, and some of the original large caves have been copied, which makes the viewing content of tourists in the Mogao Grottoes more colorful.
The mural story of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes Dunhuang mural "Deer King Ben Sheng" In ancient times, on the deserted Gobi Desert, the camel team of Persian merchants got lost because of sandstorms, and suddenly a nine-color deer appeared to give them directions. Jiuse deer returned to the forest and heard someone calling for help. It turned out that a snake charmer accidentally fell into the water while collecting medicine. Jiuse deer was busy carrying him to the stone shore. The snake charmer was so grateful that the nine-color deer only begged him not to tell others about meeting it. The snake charmer repeatedly promised and swore to heaven. Persian merchants went to the ancient palace and talked with the king about the adventures in the desert. Who knows that the queen insisted on taking nine-color deer skin as clothes. The king was helpless and posted a notice: those who caught the nine-color deer will be rewarded handsomely. Snake charmers forget profit and righteousness, tell the king, and design to introduce Jiuse deer into the encirclement. When he pretended to fall into the water again, and the deer heard the news and came to save him, the waiting warriors all fired arrows. Who knows that the nine-color deer gives off divine light, and the sharp arrows are all reduced to ashes. Nine-colored deer exposed the ugly behavior of the snake charmer to the king, and the king was deeply disturbed. The snake charmer was so frightened that he retreated again and again, fell into a deep pool and drowned, and the wicked finally got the punishment he deserved.
5. Legends about the Mogao Grottoes
Legend has it that one day in 336 AD, a monk named Le Zun traveled around here, and it was dusk, only to see the three dangerous mountains opposite the Mogao Grottoes shining with gold, as if thousands of Buddhas were dancing. He knelt down and made a great wish. From now on, he will be widely almed and build a statue here to make it truly a holy place.
In the entrance to the Mogao Grottoes filled with yellow sand, there are precious Buddhist classics buried, and anyone who gets this ancient book may ascend to heaven in one step and become beyond The six great divisions in the wheel of karma. Although this legend is not known to be true or false, it has attracted the covet of evil spirits.
Red Snake and Scorpion: It is said that it is a completely unintentional creature, and it wanders in the desert only to find more water every day. Human blood is its favorite.
Descendant of Lei nationality: He had the opportunity to inherit the work of his ancestors and become a deity above the heaven. But the crazy pursuit of power made him finally fall. So people saw him in the Mogao Grottoes and kept looking for him, hoping to return to heaven with magical classics.
Black snake and scorpion: It seems to be a relative of red snake and scorpion, but different from red snake and scorpion, they begin to become wise after sucking a lot of human blood, and of course they are more ruthless.
Ghost-faced bats and tigers: They have horrible faces like spectres, and the force between their arms is endless, which can easily tear people's bodies apart. They don't appear here for treasure, but they have the same taste for the body of treasure hunters as for food.
Flying Sand Thief: This is a group of treasure hunters from foreign countries, but they don't have any news about the treasure, and they don't want to trust any partners. They just look for it alone. Their jealousy made them hate anyone who might take the treasure before them.
6. The poem about Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
Interpretation of Dunhuang
On the ancient silk road in the Hexi Corridor,
The sandbar where blue sky and white clouds float,
There is a pearl that has gone through many vicissitudes,
The Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang are glowing.
I can't describe his brilliant starlight with words of love.
I don't want to go near your windy wall.
I'm afraid that the polluted air I exhale will pollute your clothes and dress.
I sigh that I admire,
the masters who put art into every inch of the wall,
the masters who put their souls into art,
the Dunhuang handed down from generation to generation, and their achievements will last forever.
The sorrow of the historical years is painful to the bone marrow,
The art that was plundered and destroyed by robbers is bleeding.
The treasures that have fallen in the robber museum,
are all printed with the long history of Chinese thought,
If I can, I am willing to cross to the past glory,
Standing on Mingsha Mountain, holding a knife and gun,
I am willing to stop all plunder with my body.
This is a narrow-minded thinking.
Don't you find that robbers have changed their appearance?
Greet the East with polite language.
This is the power of Chinese art, which
washes away the ugly arrogance of robbers.
No matter where an art falls,
any corner or paradise,
shows the light of fraternity of the Chinese nation.
Dunhuang! Brilliant in China! Brilliant in the world! Dunhuang forever! !
7. A short story about Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes
Fan Jinshi: daughter of Dunhuang
She has been guarding Dunhuang for more than forty years, from a young girl to a full head of hair. She is ashamed of her family, her children and herself, but she is worthy of Dunhuang. Mr. Ji Xianlin said that she had sacrificed her life for Dunhuang, and her merits were boundless.
In 1963, Fan Jinshi, who graduated from the Department of Archaeology in Peking University, was named by Chang Shuhong, then director of Dunhuang Research Institute, to go to Dunhuang. At the age of 25, she bid farewell to her lover and came to the northwest desert with the idea of leaving after three years of work, and lived in a ruined temple next to the Mogao Grottoes. In Dunhuang, which is almost isolated from the rest of the world, she plunged into the cave and led the research on the chronology of the Mogao Grottoes in the Northern Dynasty, the Sui Dynasty and the early Tang Dynasty, creating a new world of Dunhuang Grottoes archaeology.
Chan Ruo Xing He's Dunhuang art fascinates her, and the protection of Dunhuang heritage also needs energetic young people. But Fan Jinshi paid a heavy price for it.
In 1967, Fan Jinshi married his college sweetheart Peng Jinzhang, who was already planning to build an archaeology major at Wuhan University. Although they became a family, they lived a life of separation. In 1968, Fan Jinshi was about to give birth, but he couldn't leave Dunhuang because of work needs. When Peng Jinzhang changed cars all the way with a pole and arrived in Dunhuang, he saw a naked baby with no cloth on him. Fan Jinshi couldn't stop crying when she saw her husband who brought the children's clothes.
After that, Fan Jinshi's family of four lived in four places for many years. Husband and wife can't get together, and mother and son can't meet each other. Fan Jinshi once thought that he should leave Dunhuang for his family and children. However, Dunhuang is already a magnet for her, and it is difficult to give it up. One sentence