The Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves is a series of rock cut Buddhist caves in Guazhou County, Gansu, northwest China.[1] Of the twenty-three caves excavated from the conglomerate rock, eight have murals and sculptures dating from the Western Xia and Yuan dynasty; many of the statues were reworked during the Qing dynasty.[2] [3] The caves extend in two tiers along the cliffs that flank both sides of a now dry river gorge, fourteen on the west bank (five with decoration) and nine on the east (three with decoration).[2] [3] Together with the Mogao Caves, Western Thousand Buddha Caves, Yulin Caves, and Five Temple Caves, the Eastern Thousand Buddha Caves is one of the five grotto sites in the vicinity of Dunhuang managed by the Dunhuang Academy.[4]
Eight caves are decorated with murals and sculptures:[2] [3]
| Cave | Construction | Modification | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cave 1 | west cliff; north end, lower tier | ||
| Cave 2 | Qing (sculptures) | west cliff; centre, lower tier | |
| Cave 3 | Qing (sculptures) | west cliff; south end, upper tier | |
| Cave 4 | west cliff; centre, upper tier | ||
| Cave 5 | west cliff; centre, upper tier | ||
| Cave 6 | Qing (sculptures) | east cliff; north end, upper tier | |
| Cave 7 | Qing (sculptures) | east cliff; centre, upper tier | |
| Cave 8 | east cliff; centre, upper tier | ||