Kizil (also spelled as Qizil) Caves in Baicheng County, Xinjiang, China

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Adeline)

Introduction

Kucha, or Kuchar, was one of the earliest and most prominent centres in the Tarim Basin along the northern branch of the ancient Silk Road. The ancient Silk Road was an important trade route where commerce was carried out and cultural exchange took place. It was a strategic location, as it was here that the transport of goods, cultures, and ideas took place between the east and the west. Peoples from different ethnicities mixed along the Silk Road, and there was cultural exchange between peoples from India, Greece, Rome, Persia, Arabia and Central China. This exchange brought a whole host of multicultural activities to the area including religion, art, and language. According to a 4^th century Chinese chronicle, the area flourished with notable Buddhist communities during that period, though Buddhism could have arrived in the area as early as the 1^st century CE. The area is most notable for producing one of the most famous and eminent Buddhist translators of that era, Kumarajiva (344 – 413 CE), and also the exquisite murals seen in the Kizil Grottoes.

The Kizil Grottoes are located 60 kilometres (37.2 miles) east of Baicheng County, and gracefully sits on a cliff at the top of Mingwutage Mountain, itself located on the banks of the Muzat River, 7 kilometres (4.34 miles) to the southeast of Kizil town. The grottoes are also known as the Kizil Thousand-Buddha Caves. Among the six important grottoes in China, the Kizil Grottoes are the oldest. The other important grottoes in China include the Mogao Grottoes, the Lunging Grottoes, the Maijishan Grottoes, the Dazu Rock Carvings, and the Longmen Grottoes. Construction of the Kizil Grottoes, and their murals, began from around the 1^st – 2^nd centuries and lasted to the 9^th century. It is also one of the largest number of caves preserved in Xinjang today.

Map of the important grottoes in China

As stated by Duan Wen Jie, a leading expert on the Mogao Grottoes and a former president of the Gansu Province Dunhuang Research Institute, “The Kizil caves were the predecessors of the now better-known Mogao Grottoes.” The Buddhist art in the grottoes, drawn by artisans inspired by Indian, Afghan, and Persian styles and motifs, became a melting pot of ancient Indian, Greek, Roman, Persian, Arabic, and Central Chinese legends, myths, and art.

As such, Kucha was an important area for the transmission of Buddhism. This was made even more prominent with the translation of the Buddhist scriptures, such as by the great translator Kumarajiva. Given the importance of this era, and its location, it suggests that the artworks of Kizil and possibly the artists themselves, influenced early artworks at the Mogao Grottoes situated further east along the Silk Road, near Dunhuang.

During the Tang Dynasty, a famous Buddhist monk-scholar and translator, as well as the founder of the Yogacara School in China, Xuan Zang (602–664 CE), is believed to have visited one of the most important monastic cave complexes at Kizil. Xuan Zang said of the caves in the 630s:

The soil is suitable for rice and grain… it produces grapes, pomegranates and numerous species of plums, pears, peaches, and almonds… The ground is rich in minerals – gold, copper, iron, and lead and tin. The air is soft, and the manners of the people honest. The style of writing is Indian, with some differences. They excel other countries in their skill in playing on the lute and pipe. They clothe themselves with ornamental garments of silk and embroidery… There are about one hundred convents in this country, with five thousand and more disciples. These belong to the Little Vehicle [Theravada] of the school of the Sarvastivadas. Their doctrine and their rules of discipline are like those of India, and those who read them use the same originals…. About 40 li to the north of this desert city there are two convents close together on the slope of a mountain… Outside the western gate of the chief city, on the right and left side of the road, there are erect figures of Buddha, about 90 feet high.

Source: https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/exhibit/religion/buddhism/tarim/kizil.html

Kizil Grottoes

The Kizil Grottoes were included in the World Heritage List on June 22, 2014. They stretch over three kilometres (1.86 miles) and include 236 grottoes, divided among a western area, an inner valley, and rear mountain areas. Apart from the badly damaged statues, the architecture of the grottoes and the murals are well preserved. Murals found in 81 caves covering more than 10,000 square metres (107,639 square feet), are known as “the most beautiful murals in Central Asia.”

Architectural Features

The diamond-type lattice or grid is the most impressive part of the Kizil Grottoes. Each grid includes a story about the Buddha’s reincarnations portrayed in a single mural instead of a series of murals like those in the Mogao Grottoes. The murals feature the main character in the centre, surrounded by supporting characters and items.

The main feature of the Kizil Grottoes is the Central Grotto, which has both a main hall and a back hall. The front wall of the main hall was known to have enshrined a Buddha statue, with murals depicting stories surrounding the Buddha on the vault’s ceiling and side walls, as stated in historical sources. The hall itself was designed in a manner to facilitate circumambulation by Buddhist pilgrims in the following manner:

1. As the pilgrims entered the main hall, they were greeted by stories of the Buddha’s previous lives on the walls.
2. Following this, pilgrims would pay their respects to Buddha Shakyamuni, placed in an alcove within the central pillar.
3. Pilgrims would then circumambulate in a clockwise direction, walking through a corridor with Buddha’s statues inside.
4. Scenes of the Buddha’s enlightenment were depicted along the back walls of the corridor that would have been seen by the pilgrims.
5. While exiting the corridor, pilgrims would have seen a Maitreya Buddha painted above the entrance of the main hall.
6. Pilgrims would then adjourn to the back of the hall in a clockwise fashion, and appreciate the image of Buddha’s enlightenment.

Click on the image to enlarge

The Main Hall

The Kizil Grottoes featured paintings depicted on the main hall’s vaulted ceilings divided into diamond blocks, on themes such as the Jataka Tales (stories of Buddha Shakyamuni’s previous lives), and other scenes expounding the Dharma.

The Central Pillars

Click on the image to enlarge

The central pillars along the front wall typically included large alcoves, which would have housed three-dimensional seated figures. Mountain scenery made of built-up stucco material would have surrounded each of those figures, which are unfortunately no longer extant. However, remnants of a few standing figures can still be seen along the front wall. What these figures actually looked like, however, is now a mystery. To the back, the left, and the right of the central pillars are corridors with low ceilings where you can find images of monks, stupas and dharma sponsors.

The Corridors

Click on the image to enlarge

Behind the central pillars, on the back walls of the corridors, are images of the Buddha’s enlightenment, either painted or made from stucco. The head of Mahakasyapa can clearly be seen in a depiction painted on one of the walls. It depicts the scene of Mahakasyapa’s late arrival at the site of the Buddha’s parinirvana. It is particularly striking due to its expressiveness and leaf patterns. Lastly, on the semi-circle above the entrance to the main hall, the Bodhisattva Maitreya is depicted preaching in Tushita Heaven.

The Formation of Kizil Grottoes

Murals throughout the grottoes were painted from the 2^nd century all the way through to the 9^th century. What is interesting is that the themes of the murals do not show evidence of Mahayana Buddhist teachings that became so popular in China and the surrounding regions. Out of the 236 grottoes, only six of them are well preserved, namely grotto number 47, 48, 77, 92, 117, and 118. Among the six, grotto number 47 used to house the largest statue in the area, which was a standing Buddha statue. Therefore this grotto is also known as the Great Statue Grotto, and was built according to the same style as the Great Buddha Grottoes in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, which had a giant Buddha statue outside its front chamber. The murals in grotto number 47 can still be identified as Buddhist stories belonging to the Theravada school of Buddhism, and are painted roughly using bright colours.

Grotto numbers 13, 32, 38, 76, 83, 84, 114, 171, and 172 are representative of the developing stage of the grottoes and the area, between the middle of the 4^th century and the end of the 5^th century. Grottoes from this period, such as the Central Grotto, are constructed with temple-like structures, equipped with bedrooms for monks, teaching rooms, and prayer rooms. Diamond-style lattice paintings with realistic shading depict stories of the Buddha’s life all the way to his parinirvana, according to Buddhist doctrine.

In addition to murals related to Buddhism, various depictions among the grottos in the western region include daily life during the era. These include scenes of farming, hunting, pasturing, and horse riding. Other murals seen in the Kizil Grottoes include natural scenery, animals, birds and ancient architecture. In grotto number 38, also known as the Music Cave, murals depict advanced artist achievements, especially murals on both of sides of a wall illustrating a Kushine band consisting of 20 musicians playing their respective instruments. What is stunning is that the positions and gestures of the musicians are all placed at the same distance, if you observe the mural closely.

Between the 6^th and 7^th centuries, 50% of the total grottoes at Kizil were constructed, which makes it the most prosperous period. Most grottoes during this time were built to include statues that were painted with gold dust or adorned with gold foil, and include thousands of murals showing the Buddha teaching the dharma. The murals in grotto number 8 depict the story of a monkey offering honey to the Buddha and his disciples on two occasions, following the Buddha’s request. The monkey was so happy after making the offerings that it slipped into the water and drowned to death. The monkey was subsequently reborn as a rich man, due to the merits from making offerings to the Buddha and his disciples.

The 8^th and 9^th centuries mark the final period that the Kizil Grottoes were in full use. Murals from this period still exist in grotto number 129, 135, 180, 197, 227, and 229. Visitors who wrote on the walls indicate that a few monks stayed in the grottoes during the period. In grotto number 93, is a broken stele dating back to the 8^th century, and the story of a battle, both proof that Kizil was a battle field during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 CE).

Artistic style

As analysed by researchers and scholars, the highlight of the Kizil Grottoes are the murals that depict the Buddha’s life stories drawn directly onto the wall. This form of painting is unique, as other styles require the wall to be painted white first, before other colours can be applied. This form is called wet or concavo convex painting, and utilises earth and other transparent paints. Wet painting is a combination of direct and shading painting skills. According to historians, this style of painting was first created by the people of Kucha. The murals painted were done in a simpler and more natural way than previous murals. In addition to this, the details of the paintings were magnificent, with the just a small number of paintings on a tiny part of a wall being able to portray a few stories related to the Buddha’s previous incarnations. This is in stark contrast to the murals in the Mogao Grottoes, in which a series of murals present only a single story about the Buddha.

Mural from Kizil Cave no. 224 depicting Buddha’s disciples – 600 CE

Within the Kizil Grottoes, paintings can generally be divided into two styles. The first is distinguished by reddish pigments used with carefully drawn lines. In this style, a gradation of shading gives a unique and three-dimensional appearance to the paintings. With regards to the second style, its defining feature is the use of blue pigments, which includes the use of lapis lazuli. Again, the unique three-dimensional appearance of was, on the whole, created by using different shades of pigment.

Most of the murals in the Kizil Grottoes have characteristics belonging to the second style, and that impressed archaeologists who visited the site, as lapis lazuli is considered a highly precious mineral. The use of the blue pigment in the middle-period murals is an indication of a clear Persian influence. It is believed that the ultramarine colour paint that was used, derives from stones that can only be mined in Afghanistan. The term “lapis lazuli” itself is formed with the Latin word “lapis” (meaning “stone”), and the Arabic word “lazuli” (meaning “sky” or “blue).

The grottoes feature extensive use of blue paint that contains very precious ultramarine pigment made from lapis lazuli

Videos featuring murals at Kizil Grottoes:

Cave Art Ancient Uyghurs Part One

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Cave_Art_Ancient_Uyghurs01.mp4

Cave Art Ancient Uyghurs Part Two

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Cave_Art_Ancient_Uyghurs02.mp4

Cave Art Ancient Uyghurs Part Three

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Cave_Art_Ancient_Uyghurs03.mp4

Cave Art Ancient Uyghurs Part Four

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/Cave_Art_Ancient_Uyghurs04.mp4

Conclusion

On a concluding note, as we have seen in the murals at the Kizil Grottoes, there are influences present from many cultures. However, a Chinese influence is not seen in most of the murals. Out of 236 grottoes, only two have Chinese elements, indicating they were produced and influenced by the Tang Dynasty in the 8^th century. In contrast to this, there were Gandharan and Iranian elements present in various murals during an earlier period. Given that there were many Western travellers who passed through Xinjiang, along the Silk Road, on their journey to China, the appearance of Western artistic elements can also be found on various murals as well.

Generally speaking, the grottoes at Kizil may be divided into two major structures: first are the simple monastic cells, and second are the various prayer halls which were often exquisitely adorned by murals and statues. Although most statues may no longer exist in Kizil, most of the murals have been preserved.

It is unfortunate that over the centuries many of the grottoes fell into ruin, with the arrival of Persian Muslims, who viewed the grottoes as heretical, and also the Cultural Revolution, during which any form of religion was outlawed. In addition to this, during the early 20^th century German archaeologists conveniently removed large chunks of the murals during their visits, to be taken back to Berlin. This has left numerous blanks in the cave walls. The situation was compounded when the grottoes succumbed to natural destruction brought on by wind, drought, rain, and insects, as well as the degradation of all things that comes with time. Despite this, much effort has been put into restoration works, with the hopes that the Kizil Grottoes will one day be seen in all its former glory.

Sources:

• http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/kizil-caves-earliest-buddhist-caves-china-silk-route-020231
• https://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/kuqa/attractions/kizil-thousand-buddha-caves/a/poi-sig/1240826/356133
• http://amazingxinjiang.com/Attraction/history/Kizil-Thousand-Buddha-Caves.html
• https://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/exhibit/religion/buddhism/tarim/kizil.html
• http://dsr.nii.ac.jp/rarebook/04/index.html.en#Fig_1
• https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/xinjiang/korla/kizil.htm

For more interesting links:

• Caves of the Thousand Buddhas: The Mogao Caves
• Yungang Grottoes
• Tianshan Mountain Landscape
• Vajravarahi Caves in China
• Massive 2,600 year old Buddhist Monastery
• Puja at Naropa’s Cave, Kathmandu, Nepal
• Kumarajiva – the Great Translator from Kucha

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