The Bozikelike Thousand Buddha Grottoes is located about 50km away from Turpan City, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Bozikelike means a beautifully decorated place in Uygur. The main caverns are relics of the Gaochang period of the Huihu people after the 9th century and the latest cavern may be built in the 13th century. There are 57 labeled caverns, which are comparably well-preserved grottoes with rich cultural relics of the Gaochang period.
There are two kinds of architectural forms in the Bozikelike Thousand Buddha Grottoes. One is to carve grottoes out of cliff, some of which have an earth entrance room in front of them; the other is to make earth grottoes on the platform connected with the cliff. The layout of the grottoes is mainly rectangular or square, mostly rectangle. In the northern area, the grottoes are mainly pillar-centered grottoes; in the middle and southern area, the grottoes are mainly square and rectangular, some of them have altars and adjacent rooms. The ceilings are mainly vaults, with the variations of quaquversals and Taodou. There is usually an entrance room in front of the main rooms and some caverns share one entrance room and become a grotto group.
Most of the frescoes in the grottoes are fragmentary or dilapidated. The fresco on the tunnel ceiling in the 18th cavern was painted in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534). It has four layers and a large lotus in the center and is similar to those in the Mogao Grottoes. However, the middle part is packed with patterns, such as geometric figures, triangles, and four leaves, etc., and use cool colors such as azurite, cyan and white. It is simple, elegant, solemn, dignified and rich of ethnic features.
Among the frescoes of the Huihu period after the middle of the 9th century, the most abundant and distinctive ones are Buddhist story paintings, which are best represented in the caverns such as the 15th, 18th, 31st, 33rd, 38th, 42nd, etc. The ceilings of these caverns are full of paintings of the Xianjie Thousand Buddha and some with Baoxiang (the majestic look of the Buddha) patterns. Painted on two walls of the cavern or south sidewall are the Buddhist stories. In the center of the painting is a nearly-3-meter-high-standing Buddha wearing a red narrow shirt and tassel bracelet. His head leans to one side, hands make various poses, and feet wear straw sandals and steps on a fully blooming lotus. The Buddha is surrounded with figures such as Eight Heavenly Dragons, Bodhisattva, Bhiksu, Brahmin and kings. According to different contents, different kinds of props are attached to the figures. Also in some cases, inner and outer city walls, temple and tower temple were painted above or beside the Buddha. Every picture depicts one story. On the back wall of the 33rd cave remains a painting of mourning disciples and Bhiksu in the Nirvana Sutra, and because of the vivid figures, it is a rare artistic treasure.
In the frescoes of the late 10th and early 11th century, the paintings depict stories of the Western Pure Land, which has the buildings, lakes, lotus, ducks, and performers and depicts the "Sukhavati" that Buddhists dream of. The kabuki painting in the 16th cave has smooth lines, appropriate demitint, and fleshy figures. It is a treasure of the ancient Chinese painting art.
These frescoes show part of the life of ancient Uygur people. The great amount of kabuki paintings is precious graphic recourses for the research on ancient Uygur music and dance. Practically in the paintings remain some inscriptions in the languages of Huihu, Han and Boluomi, which are a precious recourse for research on the Uygur people, especially their language and history.
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