New Ideas on the Relic Belief in Kucha- A Case study of Kizil Grottoes (龟兹舍利信仰新议—以克孜尔石窟为中心)

The images painted on the wall of grottoes are mostly selected from the real world, namely the two-dimensional display of the physical objects in the caves, to serve the Buddhist storyline or to fit a certain Buddhist thought. Thus, the interpretation of the image can restore the historical situation of the time to a certain extent. This paper sorts out the images of the stupa dedicated to relic box in the murals of Kizil Grottoes, and finds that they are concentrated in the central pillar caves at the western end of the western part of the Kizil Grottoes valley, not found in other areas. Based on this phenomenon, combined with the relic box and their offerings excavated from Kucha, it is revealed that the image of the stupa was influenced by the relic display ceremony originating from the Gandhara region, and its concentrated distribution in the caves may relate to the Buddhist thoughts pursued by different Sangha in Kucha.