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Xi'an Tang Tomb: Illustrated Mahapratisara Dharani
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Xi'an Tang Tomb: Illustrated Mahapratisara Dharani
CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi'an; Tang dynasty (618–907); Print on paper; 27 x 26 cm; Xi'an Institute of Cultural Heritage Conservation and Archaeology, Shaanxi, China
These pieces of a print were found during the excavation of a Tang dynasty tomb in the west suburb of Xi'an in 1975. The Mahapratisara Dharani is inscribed in thirteen lines of Sanskrit text around the sides of the central square. Most of the text on the left and right sides is missing. Four Chinese characters are written vertically within the blank space in the center of the text. The border of the picture is decorated with images of lotuses, Dharma instruments, hands forming mudras, and constellations arranged in two rows. A print similar to this one but with the dharani written in Chinese characters rather than Sanskrit was also found in the tomb. |
