The Sarira Reliquaries of the West Pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site, Iksan

Basic information

Designation

National Treasure No.340

Category

Craft

Era

639년(무왕 40) 경

Designated year

2022

Location

익산시, 전북특별자치도— 전라북도 익산시 미륵사지로 362 (금마면, 국립익산박물관)

Coordinates

36.011556, 127.028715Kakao address conversion

The Sarira Reliquaries of the West Pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan constitute a set of archaeological relics found in 2009 inside the base and the sarira shrine made inside the core pillar of the West Pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple site in Iksan. The collection of artifacts includes a gold plaque inscribed with a prayer honoring the sarira niche and the date of enshrinement (639), a gilt-bronze outer sarira jar and a gold inner sarira jar, precious beads and other offerings to the Buddha. Both sarira jars are designed to be opened by twisting the central part of the body, a unique mechanism rarely seen in other sarira containers made in East Asia. The jars exhibit a voluminous, stable body with elegant curves and intricate decorative designs. The prayer engraved on the thin gold plaque consists of 193 Chinese characters arranged in 11 rows. According to the record, the queen of Baekje , who was also a daughter of Sataekjeokdeok, a high-ranking official (Jwapyeong) of the kingdom, donated a fortune in the Gihae Year (639) to finance the establishment of a Buddhist temple - and the enshrinement of the Buddha’s relics in the temple – as a place to pray for the safety of the royal family of Baekje. The text of the prayer is regarded as a valuable historical and academic artifact as it provides new facts about the founder of the temple and the date of its foundation, supplementing the background history of Mireuksa Temple recorded in the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk yusa, 1285). The discovery at the Mireuksa Temple site includes a set of six bronze cases of different sizes. One of the cases is incised with an inscription, Dalsol Mokgeun, indicating a high-ranking Baekje official of the second grade, showing that these vessels, together with other valuable offerings, were donated by a very important Baekje aristocrat. The vessels are highly regarded for their historical and cultural significance as items of finest-quality Baekje tableware as well as for their extreme rarity. As the Sarira Reliquaries of the West Pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan were produced under the patronage of the royal family of Baekje and discovered in the sarira repository made inside a stone pagoda at the Mireuksa Temple site, where they were wonderfully preserved in their original condition, they are regarded as priceless primary sources and criteria for the study of sarira reliquaries made across East Asia in the early phase of its history. The artifacts are also highly regarded for the advanced craft techniques and high-quality materials used in their production, as well as their outstanding artistic merits in terms of form and ornamentation.

Location