Sarira reliquary in the shape of a pavillion, 8th century, Unknown Korean, 6 1/8 × 5 1/2 × 5 9/16 in. ( × × cm) (without base), Gilt bronze, Korea, 8th century, Since the early years of Buddhism in South Asia, Buddhists have enshrined funerary relics in stupas, or burial mounds. As Buddhism spread to Northeast Asia in subsequent centuries, thousands of stupas—often tower-like and dubbed 'pagodas’' in the West—were constructed, each embedded with bone fragments or other relics (sarira) housed within a multi-layered reliquary. The present work is the innermost container

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Size: 5322px × 5322px
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Photo credit: © Penta Springs / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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