Image of Avalokitesvara from the Mogao Caves; Dunhuang. Collected by Sir Marc Aurel Stein; c. 1902. Avalokitesvara ('Lord who looks down') is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism.

The lesser scenes portrayed around the main portrait show a man in stocks; another menaced by a snake; and a third about to be beheaded.

The Mogao Caves; or Mogao Grottoes (Chinese: m?gao ku); also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas and Dunhuang Caves; form a system of 492 temples 25 km (15.5 miles) southeast of the center of Dunhuang; an oasis strategically located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road; in Gansu province; China.

The caves contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art spanning a period of 1;000 years. The first caves were dug out 366 AD as places of Buddhist meditation and worship. The Mogao Caves are the best known of the Chinese Buddhist grottoes and; along with Longmen Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes; are one of the three famous ancient sculptural sites of China. The caves also have famous wall paintings. Pictures From History