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Dayun Temple Pagoda: Nested Reliquaries
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Dayun Temple Pagoda: Nested Reliquaries
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Dayun Temple Pagoda: Nested Reliquaries
CHINA, Gansu, Pingliang; Tang dynasty (618–907); Gansu Provincial Museum, Lanzhou, China
This set of reliquaries was recovered from the underground palace of Dayun Temple Pagoda in 1964. The reliquary set consists of five nesting pieces. The stone box is 42.5 cm high, 50.5 cm long, and 49.5 cm wide. It is covered with names of the pagoda donors and an inscription dating the reliquaries and pagoda to 694. The lid has an inscription which indicates that the reliquaries contain a total of 14 relics from the Dayun Temple and is decorated with a scrolling leaf pattern. Within the box is the gilt bronze reliquary, which is 12.3 cm along each side and 13.2 cm high. The lid has beveled edges and a scroll leaf pattern.
The silver reliquary casket is also engraved with scroll leaf pattern and has an arch-shaped lid that measures 7.1 cm high. It has two ring handles on each side. Similar in shape is the gold reliquary casket which is 4.6 cm high and lavishly decorated with turquoise and pearl inlays. The glass reliquary bottle measures 2.6 cm high and there are 14 relics enshrined within.
The underground palace at Dayun Temple is one of the oldest tomb-style underground palaces in China; therefore this reliquary set is considered to be the first of its kind. |
