Side Shrines
These small shrines were excavated at a fairly late date.
The cliff has crumbled away, but originally they would have all been square
and finished like the lower shrines.
Of parti
cular interest is the shrine in the
lower left corner, which appears to have a female bodhisattva, or Tara,
inside.
There is also a Tara inside Cave 26, directly behind the
main Buddha, on the wall of the ambulatory. If these caves are indeed fifth
century, these would be earliest known Tara images.
Have pictures
of these smaller shrines you would like to share? Please contact me!
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