Paradise Resort Xi'An (T)

MOGAO CAVES A holy site for Buddhists, Mogao consists of 492 caves, the interiors ornately painted and containing large statues of Buddha. Long ago, there were over 1000 caves, but time and nature have caused many of them to collapse. The oldest cave dates back to 366 A.D. and the most recent one is from the 1500's. We went into several caves that dated back to the early 600 and 700's, and the decorations were amazingly intact. When the people hollowed out the caves, they covered the walls with a clay plaster. Then they painted the walls and ceilings with mineral paints. If you were to combine all the murals, there would be over 45,000 square meters of paintings. The murals on the cave walls tell legends of the Buddha of the past, present and future. The ceilings boast intricate lotus flowers (which symbolize wisdom and paradise) and thousands of little Buddhas. Each cave has at least one statue of Buddha and his disciples. In the largest cave, there is a Buddha which is 34.5 meters high! I noticed that the Buddha's hands were posed in specific ways. I found out that when his hand is raised with his palm out, he means 'do not fear.' When his hand is raised and his fingers are tilted slightly forward, he is teaching. When his hand is held out with the palm up, he is offering help. Finally, if his hand is out and his palm is down and facing the visitor, he is giving to that person. Also, I noticed the Buddha statues built after the 7th century had more Chinese features than the ones before, which looked more Indian.