Dunkar Caves

CHINA, Tibet, Ngari

The Dunkar Caves, located near Dunkar village, Zanda, Tibet, date from the 11th century, and were discovered in 1992. They are part of a cluster of caves which includes the Piyang Caves; together they are known as the Dunkar-Piyang Caves. The rock in the area is not suitable for carving, so most of the statues in the caves are painted clay sculptures. Detailed information relating to the construction of the caves has yet to be found. The Dunkar-Piyang Caves were listed as a Provincial Cultural Heritage Site in 1996.
The caves are located at two distinct sites. The 150 caves at the first site are distributed along the cliff north of Dunkar village. A plateau with various stupas and temples is located to the south of the cliff. This first site can be further divided into three groups of caves. The first group comprises 50 caves arranged in a U-shape. The second group of 51 caves is located directly north of the village on the east side of the cliff. The third group is located at the back of the mountains. Of note is Cave 1 in the first group, a single rectangular chamber with a diamond-in-square ceiling. Cave 2 within the same group is a rectangular cave with a 5.51 m high domed ceiling which contains various murals painted in a style heavily influenced by Indian and Central Asian art.
The second site consists of scattered caves on the north cliff face of the valley to the west of Dunkar village. The seven caves in this group, numbered from west to east, were used as monasteries or for worship and burials.