Mogao Grottoes

Originally more than 1,000 grottoes carved out of a cliff face along the silk road by Buddhists beginning in the 4th century CE up until the silk road was abandoned during the Ming Dynasty. (Seaborne trade had taken over.) They are awe inspiring. Almost 800 caves remain with many restored. Most of the caves are devotional or worship spaces.
We visited 8 of the caves. Unfortunately, they do not allow photos inside. The first pic here is taken of a picture of the Nirvana grotto with a sleeping or reclining Buddha. 2nd is the 9 level Pagoda that has become the symbol for the site. Inside is the giant Buddha, 35.5 meters tall and one of the largest in the world. Pics 3&4 show some of the artwork on the exterior even though it is faded. 5th shows a portion of the cliff face with some of the caves. Last is a look up towards the north end where the grottoes were monks cells rather than worship spaces.Read more