[Treasures From National Museum of Korea] Sarira Reliquaries from the Five-story Brick Pagoda of Songnimsa Temple

Period: Unified Silla period

Provenance: Chilgok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province

Materials: Metal, gilt-bronze

Dimensions: H. 22.3 cm

Designation: Treasure 325-1,2,3

Discovered in 1959 during repair work for the Five-story Brick Pagoda in Songnimsa Temple in Chilgok-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, this pavilion-shaped miniature stupa is one of the sarira reliquaries. A sarira reliquary is an ornate container used in Buddhism to enshrine bead-like objects found in the cremated ashes of the Buddha or its masters.

The reliquary features a glass cup and bottle, contained within a tortoise-shaped stone chest stored in the brick pagoda.

This particular reliquary is made of gold plates and features four columns erected on a square base ornamented with a downturned-lotus motif and a lid in the shape of a lavishly decorated canopy. Inside this sarira reliquary is a glass vessel with a polka-dot design containing a long-necked green glass bottle.