The Moago Caves in Dunhuang
Centre, U. W. H. (n.d.). Mogao Caves. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. © Neville Agnew
The Mogao caves at Dunhuang which were constructed in 366AD, represent one of the greatest achievements in Buddhist art. Still today, there are 492 caves preserved, housing around 45,000 square meters of murals and over 2,000 painted sculptures. Some of these scenes include the history of the Buddha’s life and previous lives, devotional images of Buddha’s, pictures of monks, and images of the donors who funded all the art.
Buddha, Cave 20 at Yungang, Datong, China (photo: Marcin Białek, CC BY-SA 4.0)
The Mogao caves, positioned strategically along the Silk Road, exemplify syncretism through their artistic representation. They highlight elements from cultures and religions including Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. The caves showcase a coexistence in beliefs and traditions in their murals, inscriptions, and sculptures. They reflect a rich array of cultural and religious syncretism.
One of the distinctive features of the Moago caves can be found in cave 285. The heavenly motifs represented on the ceiling along with the western-like walls lead us to believe this was meant to be a syncretistic visual space. This means that one image could convey more than one meaning based on the interpreter’s religious affiliation.
Mogao Cave 285 Interior South Wall © 2021 University of Washington Tateuchi East Asia Library.
The Silk Roads. ” The Silk Roads. (n.d.). https://smarthistory.org/reframing-art-history/the-silk-roads/#terms
Hiyama, S. (2022, February 11). Chapter 10 overlapping heavens in the wall paintings of Mogao Cave 285 at Dunhuang: An art-historical study of the syncretistic images on its west wall and ceiling. Brill. https://brill.com/display/book/edcoll/9789004511675/BP000011.xml