Within these surviving structures, murals have been well preserved and still exude a luster through ages of dust. Most of the murals are religious paintings, either portraits of various Buddhas, works depicting scenes believed to have happened in their lives, or pictures reflecting the religious life of the Guge people. Attention was paid to the details when these murals were painted, such as eyes, brows, gestures, and even clothes of a Buddha.

Guge Silver Eyes

Apart from murals, there are many metallic sculptures of Buddha in the Guge ruins. Guge Silver Eyes is one of the finest bronze sculptures of a Buddha ever unearthed. This Buddha has four arms and three eyes. Each arm holds a musical instrument used in a Buddhist mass. The three eyes are silver-gilt, hence its name.

 Religious strife leading to demise

Facing such a huge wealth of artistic relics, people never stopped wondering how such a powerful state came to its demise almost overnight. What happened to her? Was it a sudden accident, or an inevitable event?

Some believe the Guge had something in common with the Maya in ancient Mexico and Guatemala and Pompeii in ancient Italy, all highly developed civilizations that inexplicably fell.

While religious enthusiasm prompted the birth and growth of Guge, religious strife brought it down. Conflict between the last Guge king and the upper-class monks, headed by the king's brother, arose and became hot when the latter grew powerful. It was said that Buddhist followers could be seen everywhere in Guge at that time. The last Guge king was worried that his kingship would be threatened if the monks grew more powerful. The idea came to him that Buddhism must be degraded.

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