Xi’an Tang Tomb: Illustrated Mahapratisara Dharani

CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an; Tang dynasty

This damaged print was found during the excavation of a Tang dynasty tomb in the west suburb of Xi’an in 1975. Two lightly colored figures are depicted within a square in the center. The standing figure on the right has red cheeks and long black hair. The face of the kneeling figure on the left is obscured by damage. Both are dressed in long robes highlighted with blue. This central image is surrounded by the Mahapratisara Dharani written in Chinese characters in a clockwise direction within square guiding lines 18 rows deep. Around the outer edge of the print, there are depictions of 12 hands forming mudras. A similar version of the Dharani, written in Sanskrit rather than Chinese, was also found in the tomb.