Printed Konpon Darani Text, Nara period (710-794), c. 770. A darani was a short prayer, taken from sutras, or sacred writings. This darani was one of a million others, each one printed on paper and placed inside a miniature pagoda-shaped reliquary. It is believed that the Japanese Empress Shôtoku ordered these pagodas to be made as a prayer for peace after a violent rebellion in 764. The set is known as the Hyakumantô (one million pagodas).

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Size: 4960px × 848px
Photo credit: © Heritage Art/Heritage Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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