Kara Khoto (Chinese: Heicheng) in Ejina Banner, located on the edge of the Gobi Desert, has proved to be one of Mongolia's most important archaeological sites. Through studies of the material uncovered here, much has been learned Tangut culture and the Xia state. Kara Khoto was first explored by Kozloff in 1908 and 1909, then by Sir Aurel Stein in 1914. Sven Hedin worked the site for two years, from 1934 to 1935. Fifty years later, Chinese archaeologists returned to the site in 1983. The dry desert climate helped preserve many materials that would other wise have been lost, and with each new expedition important new discoveries were made, attesting to the richness of Tangut cultural heritage.

Buddhism was of great importance to the Tangut rulers. They relied upon it not only for their spiritual concerns, for Buddhist concepts also informed the Xia state's political organization and administration, paired along with the Chinese political system. Records show that tribute offered to the Liao dynasty often included Buddhist statuary and scriptures, both of which were produced in great numbers. This particular example of Tangut sculpture demonstrates that their artists were influenced by Indian and Central Asian styles as much as they were by the Buddhist art of Song China. Bronze imagery is more common than wood in Tangut statuary, presumably due to a scarcity of timber. Wood images have emerged in the course of excavating, however; sometimes these sculptures were carved from sandalwood, a material both precious and costly, imported from India.