莫高窟第205窟中唐補修新探 - 以莫高窟第205窟西壁新識讀的古藏文祈愿文為中心=A New Study on the Renovation of Mogao Cave 205 during the Middle Tang Dynasty - Focusing on the Newly Interpreted Votive Text in Ancient Tibetan on the West Wall of Mogao Cave 205
An ancient Tibetan inscription on the west wall of Mogao cave 205, which is not visible to naked eye and was therefore not recorded by sinologist Paul Pelliot in 1908, was discovered recently by the aid of multispectral imaging technology. For the first time, researchers have interpreted the inscription and identified it as a Buddhist votive text written in the first part of the 9th century. By consulting both Chinese and Tibetan historical documents from the Dunhuang Library Cave, researchers have demonstrated that the two persons recording their prayers in this inscription were named Kang Jinda and Caerlong Sawu, and that they belonged to different tribes during the Tibetan Occupation period （786-848）. Kang Jinda, whose name can be seen in both Chinese and Tibetan documents of the time, was a Sogdian, while Caerlong Sawu, whose name appears only in Tibetan documents, came from the Caerlong tribe. Textual research on the votive texts shows that two statues of Heavenly Kings on the central altar in Mogao cave 205 were reconstructed during the Tibetan Occupation period. The results of this research provide a better understanding of the renovations done in Mogao cave 205 during the Middle Tang dynasty.
