In
the cliffs 18 km north
of Kashgar lies the
Three Immortals Buddhist
Caves. Hewn from the
cliff some 10 meters
above the riverbed,
these caves can be dated
back to the 2nd or 3rd
century, ranking as the
earliest Buddhist caves
in western China.
With an entrance in
rectangle shape, each
cave has two chambers.
The front chambers are 4
meters in length and
width while the rear are
half. No murals were
kept in the middle cave
due to a reconstruction
in the Qing dynasty. In
the left-hand cave,
about 70 murals
survived. At the top of
this cave painted a
Buddha, whose cassock is
painted in sapphire blue
and chocolate, which is
very rare in the earlier
Buddhist murals.
The caves are difficult
to reach because of the
precipitous cliff.
The caves are virtually
inaccessible, especially
at high-water periods. |