Photos of Yulin Grottoes

Yulin Grottoes are a part of Dunhuang Grottoes, carved before the Sui and Tang dynasties. The existing caves are from the Tang, Xixia, and Yuan dynasties. Yulin Grottoes share a lot with its sister Mogao Grottoes in content, artistic style, and painting form. Its value is mainly manifested in the exquisite murals, including Buddhas and Bodhisattva portraits, scenes of Buddhist stories, and a wide variety of flowers and beasts. Most of the murals are works made from a time stretching from the Tang Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty. Some images are unique in these grottoes, such as the portrait of the military officers in the Xixia period, the Buddhist monk of Tang Dynasty going on a pilgrimage for scriptures, and so on.