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Within the cliffs, just 18 kilometers (11.2
miles) North of Kashgar, lie the "Three Immortal Buddhist Caves".
Hewn from the cliffs some 10 meters (32.8 feet) above the riverbed, these
caves can be dated back to the 2nd or 3rd century, ranking it as the earliest
Buddhist caves in Western China.
With an intriguing rectangular shaped entrance, each cave contains two
chambers. The front chambers are both 4 meters in length and width while
the rear are half that. No murals were kept in the middle cave due to
a reconstruction during the Qing Dynasty. In the left-hand cave, about
70 murals survived. There is a painted Buddha at the top of this cave,
whose cassock is painted in sapphire blue and chocolate, colours which
are very rare in the earlier Buddhist murals.
Should you decide to visit these caves, please keep in mind, they are
difficult to reach because of the precipitous cliff, and are virtually
inaccessible to the public, especially during high-water periods.
Note: The cave is very dangerous and we do not suggest it as a sight seeing
spot.
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