ABSTRACT
Buddhism came early to the area, for the Dunhuang oasis was a stopping point on the Silk Route, the path through which Buddhism entered China in the first century A.D. In 366 Buddhist monks began carving grottoes in a cliff along side the River Da, some fifteen miles from town. The caves, excavated along the northern end of the cliff, served as domiciles and places of meditation, and soon they attracted a large community of monks and pilgrims. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Mogao was the last major stopping point in China for Buddhist pilgrims venturing west to India. It was here that they rested and prepared for the arduous journey along the Southern Silk Road.
