Kashgar - Grottoes of the Three Immortals Sanxian Dong

The Grottoes of the Three Immortals (Sanxian Dong) date from the Eastern Han period (25-220) and lie 10km/6mi to the north of the town, on the slopes of a steep hill. Each one of the three long interlinking caves is divided into a front and rear section. A badly damaged Buddha statue is kept in the rear section of the middle cave. On the walls of the left-hand cave there are some 70 likenesses of Buddha, dating back 1700 years. One of the Buddhas on the rear wall is depicted with a bare back - an unusual phenomenon in the wall paintings of that period.