The name of Kucha may be unfamiliar to many people, and it is even difficult to pronounce it. It is only mentioned in a few words in history class. In my previous impression, the Kucha Kingdom was the place where Xuanzang passed by to learn Buddhist scriptures. Buddhism was once popular and left many relics. I once saw a spot on the map called Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves, that's all. I came to Baicheng in Xinjiang twice, but passed by twice, but I never forgot the famous grottoes in this legendary thousand-year-old country. Finally found an opportunity one day, so I made a special trip to visit this ruins.
Good things take a long time, but the road is bumpy, but there is a chance encounter
Starting from Baicheng, passing through Kizil Township, turning south into a fork in the road, the road leading to the grotto was under major repair at that time, and the road was full of dust. If it weren't for the practice of going into the water with a body of iron, the ups and downs of this journey would be heartbreaking. Maybe it's a long way to go, and if you want to see the true face of the Buddha Cave, you have to go through a little tribulation. Now that the road has been repaired, the road to the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves is smooth, and there is no need to endure the washboard-like dirt road. After walking downhill through the dirt road and driving into the valley, we finally arrived at the parking lot at the entrance of the grotto.
The grotto is located in the river valley, backed by the hillside, facing the river bed, facing south from the north, and on the other side of the river is a desolate mountain with red stripes, which is called Danxia landform in geology. When I walked to the entrance of the scenic spot, I suddenly met the driver who chartered a car in Kuche to the Grand Canyon a few days ago and was bringing two tourists to visit here. The fate is very wonderful! So I took a group photo and left the driver's phone number, and then took his car several times to Kuqa.
Legendary monk Kumarajiva, idol of Xuanzang
Walking into the scenic spot, you will first see the statue of Kumarajiva, an eminent monk from the Western Regions, standing in the middle of the small square. This is also the classic location for a visit to the Kizil Grottoes. Many people may not know Jinmarojiva. In fact, in the history of Buddhism, his name is not inferior to that of Xuanzang in the Tang Dynasty, and his age is also earlier. It is just that he was not written in the best-selling masterpiece "Journey to the West". Xuanzang was popularized like that and became a household name, attracting countless fans. Xuanzang, the author of "Da Tang Western Regions" two hundred years later, is one of Kumarajiva's die-hard fans. Xuanzang's ability to overcome all kinds of difficulties and dangers to obtain the scriptures is largely due to the power bestowed by this spiritual idol. It is said that you need to understand the background when you visit historical and cultural attractions, so I looked for relevant information to learn about the extraordinary life experience of this eminent monk.
Kumarajiva was born in Kucha. His father was from an Indian aristocrat named Kumayan, and his mother was Rosh, the king’s sister of Kucha, and his name was Jiva. Kumarajiva became a monk at the age of seven with his mother. He was educated by the eminent monk Buddha Tuhanmi in Kucha, and later traveled to North India (now Nepal), Shule, Shache and other places. He was talented and taught by eminent monks, and Kumarajiva made progress. He is very fast, proficient in Buddhism, astronomy, geography, arithmetic and many other subjects, and is revered as the national teacher of Kucha. "Biography of the Eminent Monk" records: "The shock of the Dao shocked the Western Regions, and the sound was heard by the Eastern Kingdom." It is said that the Kucha Kingdom and the kings of various countries who came to listen to the lectures at that time let Kumarajiva step on their knees to the pulpit to show their admiration. With such enthusiasm today, the first-line popular stars are willing to bow down. Kumarajiva is proficient in multiple languages: Sanskrit, Chinese, Kucha, and the lost Tocharian. The scriptures he translated can not only fully express the essence of the original works, but also be fluent, full of rhythm, catchy and easy to understand.
In 401 A.D., Kumarajiva came to Chang'an and organized a huge translation organization with thousands of people in Xiaoyaoyuan, a national translation center in Chang'an. He translated seventy-four Buddhist scriptures and three hundred and eighty-four volumes, and his disciples spread all over the Central Plains. Kumarajiva has made outstanding contributions in introducing Buddhist philosophy, and has become one of the four major Chinese Buddhist scripture translators in the history of Chinese Buddhism, along with Truth, Xuanzang, and Bukong. The translated Buddhist scriptures have also become the basic classics of Chinese Buddhism. CCTV's large-scale documentary "New Belt and Road" "One Man's Kucha" tells the story of Kumarajiva. For such a capable academic celebrity, it is conservatively estimated that there should be tens of millions of fans. In 1994, on the day of the 1650th birthday of Kumarajiva, his bronze statue stood in the square in front of the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves for posterity to admire.
Walking into the Millennium Buddha Cave, I was slightly disappointed
Cameras are not allowed to visit the grottoes. There is a storage place at the entrance of the scenic spot, and a guide will lead us to visit. Open one door after another and walk into the grottoes, but what you see is not as dazzling as you imagined. Most of the murals in the grottoes here have been severely damaged, the gold leaf has been removed, and many murals have been stolen. . It is said that in the early 1930s, Le Coq and others from the archaeological team of the Berlin Folklore Museum stole hundreds of boxes of murals, statues, hand-copied or printed Chinese, Sanskrit, Turkic, Tocharian and other documents from here. Some of them were destroyed by artillery fire in World War II, and some are now housed in museums in Berlin. I heard from the locals that they often came here to play when they were young. At that time, there was no one to manage it, let alone protection. A group of children played with fire inside, and the walls were blackened.
Kizil is a transliteration of Uighur, meaning "red". Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves, also known as Kizil Grottoes or Hesel Grottoes, is located seven kilometers southeast of Kizil Township, Baicheng County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, on the cliffs of Mingwutag Mountain, east of Kuqa County About sixty-nine kilometers. To the south of the grotto are the Muzart River Valley and the Qeldag Mountain. The Weigan River meanders through it.
According to statistics, there are 236 caves in the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves, most of the statues have been destroyed. Among them, there are more than 80 caves with murals, and the total area of murals is about 10,000 square meters. According to historical data, the Kizil Grottoes were excavated in the third century A.D., and gradually ceased construction in the eighth and ninth centuries A.D. The duration is unique in the history of grottoes in all countries in the world. The Kizil Grottoes are the cultural relics of the ancient Kucha Kingdom. They are also the largest group of large-scale grottoes excavated in my country with the earliest age and the westernmost geographical location. On the edge of the desolate Gobi Desert in the Tarim Basin, this tree-lined and beautiful oasis has become a famous tourist attraction in Xinjiang.
Dahan fans King Kucha
The oases around Baicheng and Kuqa in Xinjiang once belonged to the territory of the ancient country of Kucha, with a long history and profound culture. As early as the Western Han Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, Zhang Qian had been here when he was on an envoy to the Western Regions. As one of the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions, Qiuci is an important town on the Silk Road, and has an important strategic position in geography, economy, and military. In 60 BC, the Western Han Dynasty established the Protectorate of the Western Regions, and since then, Kucha has belonged to the Han Dynasty. According to historical records, during the reign of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, King Jiangbin of Qiuci admired Princess Jieyou's daughter Shi Shi very much, and promoted a policy of friendship with the Han Dynasty in the Kingdom of Qiuci. After winning the consent of Princess Jieyou, he held a grand wedding with his younger brother Shi with joy throughout the country. In the first year of Yuankang Emperor Xuandi of the Han Dynasty (65 BC), King Jiang Bin of Kucha and his younger brother Shi went to Chang'an to have an audience. Emperor Xuan of the Han made an exception and made his younger brother Shi the princess of the Han family, and awarded Jiangbin a golden seal ribbon, and left them to live in Chang'an for a year. This year's "honeymoon" life allowed Jiang Bin to see the strength and prosperity of the Han Dynasty, and became a loyal fan of Han culture. After returning to the country, according to the regulations of the Han Dynasty, "govern the palace, serve as the guard of the Taoist Zhou, go in and out of the house, ring the bell and drum, just like the Han family rituals", and let his son regard himself as a grandson of the Han Dynasty.
Grotto Art Treasures, Witnessing the Eastward Spread of Buddhism
The ancient country of Kucha is an important node on the ancient Silk Road. It used to be the political, economic and cultural center of the Western Regions, and it was also an important stop for the spread of Buddhism to the East. Indian Buddhism was first introduced to the Western Regions, and after forming "Western Region Buddhism", it was then introduced to the Central Plains along the Silk Road. Grottoes are an important form of Buddhist art. Only a few people understood the text and language at that time. In order to spread to a wider group of people, it is necessary to promote Buddhist teachings through specific images such as buildings and murals. As a result, Kucha Kingdom has become one of the birthplaces of grotto art, and its architectural art and mural art occupy an extremely important position in Buddhist art in Central Asia and the Middle East. The Kucha Grottoes are relatively concentrated, especially represented by the Kizil Grottoes. The murals in the grottoes are rich in content, not only expressing Buddhist "Jataka stories", "Buddhist stories", "karma stories", etc., but also a large number of secular life. Situational mural. Some grotto experts pointed out that the Kucha Grottoes are an encyclopedia of ancient Kucha culture. Among the Kucha Grottoes, the Kizil Grottoes are regarded as the crown of the group. Mr. Duan Wenjie, the former director of the Dunhuang Academy of Art, has said many times: The key to the study of deep-seated problems in Dunhuang lies in the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves.
The poignant legend "The Fountain of Thousand Tears"
After visiting the grottoes, continue walking along the cliff, and there is a small stream flowing out behind the mountain. Continue along the creek into the valley until you reach the end of the road that descends from three cliffs. Looking up, there is water dripping down on the cliff wall, converging into a stream, here is Qianleiquan.
Hearing this name, one knows that there must be a legendary story. Indeed, there is a folk legend about the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves: a long time ago, the king of Kucha had an only daughter, the princess was young, beautiful, intelligent and kind, and was regarded by the king as the jewel in his palm. One summer, the princess went hunting in the mountains and broke into this barren valley. She met a handsome young man, and they fell in love at first sight. The young man proposed to the king, but the king put forward harsh conditions to make things difficult for him, asking him to dig a thousand caves in the mountains within three years.
When the young man returned to his hometown, he began to dig day and night on the cliffs in the barren valley. When he dug to the 999th cave, he fell ill due to overwork and died of exhaustion in the mountains. When the princess heard about it, she was so distressed that she rushed to the boy's side and hugged the corpse and cried loudly, and finally turned into a rock that dripped water all the year round. The dripping spring in front of me has a sad name "Qianleiquan". This perennial dripping spring brings vitality to the desolate Gobi Desert, nourishes the more than 3,000 mu of fields in the valley, and also adds a piece of green to the nearby grottoes.
The epitome of Buddhist history, witnessing the eastward spread of Buddhism
The history of the Kizil Grottoes is also the epitome of the history of Buddhism. Buddhism was introduced to Kucha around the first century AD, and early cave temples appeared. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties in the third and fourth centuries AD, Buddhism gradually became popular in Kucha, and a number of representative cave temples appeared. In the fourth and fifth centuries AD, Kucha entered a period of great development of Buddhist culture. At this time, Kucha culture absorbed and integrated Indian Buddhist culture and Gandhara Buddhist culture, forming a splendid local ethnic culture. The numerous Thousand-Buddha Caves and Buddhist temple ruins in ancient Kuqa, Baicheng, Xinjiang, etc. today were excavated and constructed during that period and survived. The outstanding Buddhist scripture translator Kumarajiva was also a famous eminent monk who appeared in that era.
Within the territory of the ancient country of Kucha, there are more than 20 grotto sites discovered in Baicheng County, Kuqa County, Xinhe County, Wensu County, Wushi County, Keping County and other places in the Aksu area of Xinjiang. There are more than seven hundred caves in total, and there are still many caves that have not yet been discovered. Among these grottoes, Kizil Grottoes in Baicheng County, Senmusham, Kumutura, Kizilgaha Grottoes and Aai Grottoes in Kuqa County are more famous. The Kucha Grottoes are the most abundant and wonderful part of the existing Kucha Buddhist cultural heritage. It consists of buildings, painted sculptures and murals, which together constitute the main body of Kucha Buddhist art.
In the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, mutual fans blend together
The Western Regions experienced a period of unrest in the sixth and seventh centuries AD. After the unification of the Western Regions, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty established the Anxi Protectorate in Kucha, and Kucha returned to the territory of China. There are frequent exchanges between Qiuci culture and Central Plains culture, especially the music and dance of Qiuci was very popular in the Eastern Tang Dynasty, with countless fans. The unearthed cultural relics show that the musical instruments and costumes used in the Kucha music and dance at that time were not only from Kucha, but also from the Central Plains, India, Central Asia, Persia and even Europe. It can be called a world-class international comprehensive art. In the territory of Kucha, dozens of large vats used to hold wine have also been unearthed. Caravans traveling through the Silk Road sent thousands of miles from the country of Kucha with the words "XO, Remy Martin, Lafite", so the luminous cup in "Liangzhou Ci" was filled with fine grape wine. At the same time, the Central Plains Buddhism, which integrated Confucianism and Taoism, was transmitted back to the Western Regions through the Silk Road, and Kucha Buddhism entered the Anxi Buddhist culture period that blended with the Central Plains Buddhist culture. The prosperous age of Kaiyuan was also the heyday of Mahayana Buddhist culture in Kucha, and the grotto art in Kucha also reached the height of perfection at this time.
boom and bust, fade away
In the eighth and ninth centuries AD, with the decline of the Tang Dynasty, the Western Regions also began to be turbulent. Frequent wars and economic decline directly affected the spread and development of Buddhism in the Western Regions. In the fourteenth century AD, after several dynasties changed, Buddhism, which once had a profound influence in the Western Regions, was finally replaced by Islamic culture despite struggles and became a new tool of the ruling class.
The ancient silk road, the hometown of Qiuci, the thousand-year-old Buddhist caves, and the vicissitudes of time. The yellow sand in the desert covers up the traces of time; the camel bells faintly hear the ancient Sanskrit sound. The incomplete statues remember the rise and fall of the millennium; the mottled murals tell the prosperity of the past; the poignant stories sing the praises of the persistence of love. If incompleteness is also a kind of beauty, the Kizil Grottoes interpret this beauty to the extreme, which is sad and desolate. Let us only have a glimpse of the ancient civilization among the fragmented remnants, and touch the once splendid Kucha culture. After walking through, watching and listening to it, I let go of a longing in my heart for many years, but added a bit of emotion and melancholy.
