Kanishka Casket
Kanishka casket | |
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Buddha surrounded by Indra and Brahma. Kanishka appears in the lower part among the scrolls, British Museum.[1] | |
Created | 2nd century CE |
Present location | Peshawar Museum, Pakistan (a copy is in British Museum, London) |
The Kanishka casket or Kanishka reliquary, is a
History and description
It was discovered in a deposit chamber under the monumental
The casket is today at the
Inscription | Original (Kharosthi script(Read from right to left)) | Transliteration | English translation |
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Line 2 | 𐨐𐨞𐨁𐨮𐨿𐨐𐨤𐨂𐨪𐨅 𐨞𐨒𐨪𐨅 𐨀𐨩𐨎 𐨒𐨢𐨐𐨪𐨎𐨜𐨅 𐨨𐨱𐨪𐨗𐨯 𐨐𐨞𐨁 | Kaṇiṣkapure ṇagare ayaṃ gadhakaraṃḍe maharajasa Kaṇi- | In Kaṇiṣkapura city, this incense box is the great king Kanishka 's
|
Line 4 | 𐨮𐨿𐨐𐨯 𐨬𐨁𐨱𐨪𐨅 𐨨𐨱𐨯𐨅𐨣𐨯 𐨯𐨎𐨓𐨪𐨐𐨿𐨮𐨁𐨟𐨯 𐨀𐨒𐨁𐨭𐨫𐨣𐨬𐨐𐨪𐨿𐨨𐨁𐨀𐨣 | ṣkasa vihare Mahasenasa Saṃgharakṣitasa agiśalanavakarmiana | monastery's superintendents of construction of the fire hall, Mahasena's and Saṃgharakṣita's, |
Line 3 | 𐨡𐨅𐨩𐨢𐨪𐨿𐨨𐨅 𐨯𐨪𐨿𐨬𐨯𐨟𐨿𐨬𐨣 𐨱𐨁𐨟𐨯𐨂𐨱𐨪𐨿𐨠 𐨧𐨬𐨟𐨂 | deyadharme sarvasatvana hitasuhartha bhavatu | donation. May it be for the benefit and pleasure of all living beings. |
Line 1 | 𐨀𐨕𐨪𐨿𐨩𐨣 𐨯𐨪𐨿𐨬𐨯𐨿𐨟𐨁𐨬𐨟𐨁𐨣 𐨤𐨿𐨪𐨟𐨁𐨒𐨿𐨪𐨱𐨅 | acaryana sarvastivatina pratigrahe | In the possession of the Sarvāstivādin teachers. |
Originally it was believed, that the text is signed by the maker, a Greek artist named Agesilas, who oversaw work at Kanishka's stupas (caitya), confirming the direct involvement of Greeks with Buddhist realizations at such a late date: "The servant (dasa) Agisalaos, the superintendent of works at the vihara of Kanishka in the monastery of Mahasena" ("dasa agisala nava-karmi ana*kaniskasa vihara mahasenasa sangharame"). However, a recent cleaning of the casket had shown that the old reading was not accurate. Instead, the name is to be read agnisala, which is the refectory of the monastery.[7]
The lid of the casket shows the Buddha on lotus pedestal, and worshipped by Indra and Brahma.
The edge of the lid is decorated by a frieze of flying geese, or
The body of the casket represents a Kushan monarch, probably Kanishka in person, with the Iranian
A garland, supported by
The relics themselves were forwarded to
Gallery
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Detail of the Indra, Buddha, Brahma trilogy.
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Detail of Kanishka, surrounded by the Sun-God and the Moon-God.
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Kanishka in the Kanishka Casket (detail)
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Detail of the flight of sacred geese, or hamsa.
See also
- Cetiya
- Bimaran reliquary
- Rukhuna reliquary
- Silver Reliquary of Indravarman
- Bajaur casket
- Kushan art
Notes
- ISSN 0004-3079.
- ^ Spooner, D. B. (1908-9): "Excavations at Shāh-ji-Dherī." Archaeological Survey of India, p. 49.
- ^ Marshall, John H. (1909): "Archaeological Exploration in India, 1908-9." (Section on: "The stūpa of Kanishka and relics of the Buddha"). Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, 1909, pp. 1056-1061.
- ^ Baums, Stefan. (2012). Catalog and Revised Text and Translations of Gandhāran Reliquary Inscriptions. Gandhāran Buddhist Reliquaries. D. Jongeward. Seattle, University of Washington Press
- ISSN 0007-151X.
- ^ Translated by B. N. Mukherjee. BMQ, Vol. XXVIII, pp. 41-43. Quoted in: Dobbins, K. Walton. (1971): The Stūpa and Vihāra of Kanishka I. The Asiatic Society of Bengal Monograph Series, Vol. XVIII. Calcutta.
- ^ Prudence R. Myer: Again the Kanishka Casket, In: The Art Bulletin, Vol. 48, No. 3/4 (Sep.–Dec., 1966), pp. 396–403 [1]
References
- Baums, Stefan. 2012. "Catalog and Revised Texts and Translations of Gandharan Reliquary Inscriptions." In: David Jongeward, Elizabeth Errington, Richard Salomon and Stefan Baums, Gandharan Buddhist Reliquaries, p. 246, Seattle: Early Buddhist Manuscripts Project (Gandharan Studies, Volume 1).
- Baums, Stefan, and Andrew Glass. 2002– . Catalog of Gāndhārī Texts, no. CKI 145
- Fenet, Annick (2020): « "In other words, authentic relics of the Buddha himself !" La fouille du stūpa de Kanishka à Shāh-jī-kī-Dherī (février-mars 1909) », in S. Alaura (ed.), Digging in the archives. From the history of oriental studies to the history of ideas, Roma (Documenta Asiana XI), 2020, p. 63-90
External links
- Media related to Kanishka casket at Wikimedia Commons
- Photograph of the Kanishka casket