Ruiguang Temple Pagoda: Illustrated Mahapratisara Dharani

CHINA, Jiangsu, Suzhou; Northern Song dynasty

These two prints of the Mahapratisara Dharani, one written in Chinese and the other in Sanskrit, were found in the Ruiguang Temple Pagoda Heavenly Palace in 1978. An inscription at the bottom of the Chinese print dates it to 1001. There is a Buddha image within a circle in the center. The dharani begins beside the Buddha and moves outwards in a clockwise direction, forming a large circle of text. The Four Heavenly Kings stand upon clouds in the corners of the picture. Musical instruments and flowers are depicted in the upper register. The titles and names of 18 officials are arranged vertically on the sides of the print.
The Sanskrit print was made in 1005. There is a rectangle in the center containing images of Tejaprabha Buddha, the Nine Luminaries, and the Twelve Zodiac Signs. The dharani is printed in 47 lines around the illustration. Personifications of the Twenty-Eight Mansions line the sides of the picture. Astrological signs were rarely seen in woodblock prints made before the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127).