Wenshu Mountain And Tibetan Buddhism

Built in the Northern Wei Dynasty, Wenshu Temple that once was a Han Buddhist temple became a Tibetan Buddhist Temple and had flourished since the Yuan Dynasty. The governors of the Yuan Period honored Tibetan Buddhism as the royal and national religion; therefore, nearly every Mongol was devout Buddhists. Mongol Princes of Bin, paid homage to and believed in Tibetan Buddhism. Mongol Princes of Bin not only protected the Buddhist activities hold in the area from the Western Regions to Dunhuang, but also supported the Buddhist temples, shaped the statue of Buddha, transcribed the Buddhist Scriptures, and repaired temples and grottoes greatly, especially for the Wenshu Temple in Jiuquan, the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Yulin Grottoes in Guazhou. The contributions and Buddhist activities of Mongol Princes of Bin promoted and developed the Buddhism, especially Tibetan Buddhism, in the northwest area of China. Due to the fact that the Yuan government attached much attention to the Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism developed drastically and many Buddhist grottoes were built in Hexi region (now areas in Gansu including Jiuquan, Zhangye, Wuwei) during the period. With a special geographical position, Wenshu Temple became the Tibetan Buddhist center in the west area of China and played an important role in defending against the Islamic invading, forming of Yugur People and present layout of the religion and culture of Hexi region. The thesis researches the relationship between Huihu (Uyghur), Bin’s family, Yugur people and Tibetan Buddhism through studying the cultural relics of Huihu Tibetan Buddhism unearthed in Jiuquan and Wenshushan, combing with the historical data.