Kizil Caves

The Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves were built in the 3rd-4th century, or earlier; the peak period was in the 6th-7th century; at the end of the 8th century, after the Tibetans occupied Qiuci, they were gradually abandoned, and they were built successively for five or six hundred years. . There are 236 caves numbered in this Thousand Buddha Caves, and there are 135 caves that are still in complete shape. Among them, there are Zhiti caves for monks to worship Buddha statues and preach scriptures, and there are Vihara caves for monks to live in and sit in meditation. In Zhiti Grottoes, there are large caves with tall caves, open doors and statues of Buddha statues on the main wall; there are caves with a rectangular main room and a central pillar cave with towers inside; there are caves with more regular square caves. The Vihara Cave, also known as the monk's room, is mostly a living room with a corridor structure, and there are simple living facilities such as a stove in the room. These caves of different types and uses are mostly built together regularly and combined into units. Judging from the arrangement, each unit may be a Buddhist temple. This kind of cave structure and layout is relatively rare in Chinese cave architecture. The statues and murals of the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves are all painted in the Zhiti Cave. Although most of the statues have been destroyed, the murals are still about 5,000 square meters. The themes are mainly Buddhist biography, karma and life stories. In addition, the themes that reflect Maitreya's teachings and monks' practice of Zen also have a certain proportion. Compared with other grottoes, Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves can be said to be a relatively large-scale grotto temple built earlier in my country. Its special cave shape, mural theme and artistic style deeply reflect the situation of Qiuci Buddhism, represent the cultural and artistic level of the Qiuci ethnic group, and are an important place to visit and study Buddhist culture and art.