The Ah-ai Grotto ( zh, t=阿艾石窟, s=阿艾石窟, p=Ā ài shíkū) is a small, standalone
Buddhist rock-cut cave located in the
Kyziliya Grand Canyon,
Kuqa, Xinjiang. The area is under the administration of Ah-ai Town, hence its name. The grotto was discovered by a young
Uyghur shepherd named Tudi Azze () in April 1999, while on his way to collecting medicinal herbs.
Compared with other famous sites in Xinjiang, such as
Bezeklik Caves or
Kizil Caves, the small Ah-ai Grotto is not widely known. The cave murals have suffered from vandalism.
The grotto
Built in the 8th century, financially supported by devoted laities, the cave was a product of a flourishing period of
Kuchean Buddhism. The
Vairocana image presented in the mural denotes an
Esoteric Buddhist influence from the
Tang dynasty.
The cave is 4.6 metres long, 3.4 metres wide and about 2.5 metres high, with a vertical rectangle plane and a lunette vault. A rectangular earthen altar lies at the centre of the ground, measuring 2.53 metres long, 2.05 metres wide and 0.45 metres high. Due to the poor conservation condition, only one-tenth of the murals survived to the present day. A partially survived ''
Amitayurdhyana Sutra Transformation'' is depicted on the front wall, with its style similar to the
Dunhuang murals. Of the five remaining figures on the left side wall, four have been identified as
Bhaisajyaguru
Bhaiṣajyaguru ( sa, भैषज्यगुरु, zh, t= , ja, 薬師仏, ko, 약사불, bo, སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja ("Medicine Master ...
,
Vairocana,
Manjushri
Mañjuśrī (Sanskrit: मञ्जुश्री) is a ''bodhisattva'' associated with '' prajñā'' (wisdom) in Mahāyāna Buddhism. His name means "Gentle Glory" in Sanskrit. Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller name of Mañjuśrīkumārab ...
and another Bhaisajyaguru. It is impossible to identify the three figures—two standing
bodhisattvas and one sitting buddha—on the right side wall due to their severe damage. The vaulted ceiling is filled with small sitting Buddha images.
The artistic presentation of Ah-ai Grotto reflects a cultural amalgamation of
East Central Asia and Tang dynasty, and the influence of
Mahayana Buddhism
''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...
upon
Kucha, which was a
Sarvastivada-dominated kingdom.
Gallery
File:Bhaisajyaguru from Ah-Ai Grottoes.jpg, Bhaisajyaguru
Bhaiṣajyaguru ( sa, भैषज्यगुरु, zh, t= , ja, 薬師仏, ko, 약사불, bo, སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja ("Medicine Master ...
File:Vairocana from Ah-Ai Grottoes.jpg, Vairocana
File:Manjushri from Ah-Ai Grottoes.jpg, Manjushri
Mañjuśrī (Sanskrit: मञ्जुश्री) is a ''bodhisattva'' associated with '' prajñā'' (wisdom) in Mahāyāna Buddhism. His name means "Gentle Glory" in Sanskrit. Mañjuśrī is also known by the fuller name of Mañjuśrīkumārab ...
File:Manjushri Bodhisattva, A-Ai grotto (Restoration Colorized).png, Restoration of Manjushri mural
See also
*
Kizilgaha caves
The Kizilgaha Caves ( zh, t=克孜爾尕哈石窟, s=克孜尔尕哈石窟, p=Kèzīěrgǎhā shíkū) consist in a Buddhist Temple inside a complex of caves in the area of Kucha, Xinjiang, China
China, officially the People's Republic o ...
*
Kumtura Caves
*
Simsim caves
*
Shikshin Temple
*
Subashi Temple
*
Silk Road transmission of Buddhism
Buddhism entered Han China via the Silk Road, beginning in the 1st or 2nd century CE. The first documented translation efforts by Buddhist monks in China were in the 2nd century CE via the Kushan Empire into the Chinese territory bordering the ...
References
{{Caves of China
Caves of Xinjiang
Central Asian Buddhist sites
Ancient Central Asian art
Chinese Buddhist grottoes
Sites along the Silk Road
Buddhist temples in Aksu Prefecture