Qigexing Buddhist Temple Ruins
Encyclopedia
The Qigexing Buddhist Temple Ruins (Uyghur
: Xorquᶄ) is a ruined compound of Buddhist religious sites located about 25–30 km southwest of the town of Yanqi
, Yanqi Hui Autonomous County, Xinjiang
, China.
who worked at the site during the third German Turfan expedition (1905-1907) refers to the site as Shorchuk (Uyghur
: Xorquᶄ), this name is also sometimes spelled as "Chorchuk" or "Shorchuq".
as the Kingdom of Yanqi . In 94 CE, Qigexing was conquered by the Han Dynasty in its reconquest of the Tarim Basin
. The Buddhist monk Faxian
visited Qigexing around 400 CE and mentions the presence of about 4,000 monks who were practicing Hinayana
Buddhism. The monk Xuanzang
, who lived in the 7th century CE, reports the existence of 10 Buddhist monasteries with 2,000 monks in Qigexing. In 719 CE, the Tang Dynasty
established a garrison in Qigexing in a similar manner as in Kucha
, Kashgar
, and Hotan. Archeological finds in Qigexing include the ruins of larger temple compounds as well as some cave temples. The remains of some wall paintings and in particular sculptures have been discovered at the site. Sculptures have been found as individual figures as well as in friezes. The site was investigated by Albert Grünwedel during third German Turfan expedition (1905-1907) as well as by Sergey Oldenburg
during the Russian Turkistan Expedition (1909-1910).
Uyghur language
Uyghur , formerly known as Eastern Turk, is a Turkic language with 8 to 11 million speakers, spoken primarily by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. Significant communities of Uyghur-speakers are located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and various other...
: Xorquᶄ) is a ruined compound of Buddhist religious sites located about 25–30 km southwest of the town of Yanqi
Karasahr
Yanqi , or Karasahr , is an ancient town on the Silk Road and capital of Yanqi Hui Autonomous County in the Bayin'gholin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang, in northwestern China...
, Yanqi Hui Autonomous County, Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
, China.
Names
The name "Qigexing" has also been spelled as "Shikchin", "Shikshin", "Šikšin", "Xikeqin", or "Xigexing". The archaeologist Albert GrünwedelAlbert Grünwedel
Albert Grünwedel was a German indologist, tibetologist archaeologist and explorer of Central Asia. Grünwedel was also one of the first scholars to study the Lepcha language.-Life:...
who worked at the site during the third German Turfan expedition (1905-1907) refers to the site as Shorchuk (Uyghur
Uyghur language
Uyghur , formerly known as Eastern Turk, is a Turkic language with 8 to 11 million speakers, spoken primarily by the Uyghur people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of Western China. Significant communities of Uyghur-speakers are located in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and various other...
: Xorquᶄ), this name is also sometimes spelled as "Chorchuk" or "Shorchuq".
History
Qigexing was part of the ancient Buddhist Karashara Kingdom that is first mentioned in Chinese sources from the Han DynastyHan Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
as the Kingdom of Yanqi . In 94 CE, Qigexing was conquered by the Han Dynasty in its reconquest of the Tarim Basin
Tarim Basin
The Tarim Basin is a large endorheic basin occupying an area of about . It is located in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China's far west. Its northern boundary is the Tian Shan mountain range and its southern is the Kunlun Mountains on the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The...
. The Buddhist monk Faxian
Faxian
Faxian was a Chinese Buddhist monk who traveled to India, Sri Lanka and Kapilavastu in today's Nepal between 399 and 412 to acquire Buddhist scriptures...
visited Qigexing around 400 CE and mentions the presence of about 4,000 monks who were practicing Hinayana
Hinayana
Hīnayāna is a Sanskrit and Pāli term literally meaning: the "Inferior Vehicle", "Deficient Vehicle", the "Abandoned Vehicle", or the "Defective Vehicle". The term appeared around the 1st or 2nd century....
Buddhism. The monk Xuanzang
Xuanzang
Xuanzang was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period...
, who lived in the 7th century CE, reports the existence of 10 Buddhist monasteries with 2,000 monks in Qigexing. In 719 CE, the Tang Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
established a garrison in Qigexing in a similar manner as in Kucha
Kucha
Kuchaor Kuche Uyghur , Chinese Simplified: 库车; Traditional: 庫車; pinyin Kùchē; also romanized as Qiuzi, Qiuci, Chiu-tzu, Kiu-che, Kuei-tzu from the traditional Chinese forms 屈支 屈茨; 龜玆; 龟兹, 丘玆, also Po ; Sanskrit: Kueina, Standard Tibetan: Kutsahiyui was an ancient Buddhist kingdom...
, Kashgar
Kashgar
Kashgar or Kashi is an oasis city with approximately 350,000 residents in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China. Kashgar is the administrative centre of Kashgar Prefecture which has an area of 162,000 km² and a population of approximately...
, and Hotan. Archeological finds in Qigexing include the ruins of larger temple compounds as well as some cave temples. The remains of some wall paintings and in particular sculptures have been discovered at the site. Sculptures have been found as individual figures as well as in friezes. The site was investigated by Albert Grünwedel during third German Turfan expedition (1905-1907) as well as by Sergey Oldenburg
Sergey Oldenburg
Sergey Fyodorovich Oldenburg was a Russian orientalist who specialized in Buddhist studies. He is remembered as the founder of Russian Indology and the teacher of Fyodor Shcherbatskoy....
during the Russian Turkistan Expedition (1909-1910).