桐華寺 毘盧庵 石塔 출토 蠟石舍利壺와 金銅四方佛 舍利外函 고찰

Agalmatolite Sarira Reliquaries and Gilt-Bronze Fourdirectional Buddha Images Excavated from the Stone Pagoda in Biroam, Donghwasa Temple

Among the Sarira reliquaries from the stone pagoda in Biroam, Donghwasa Temple, the inscription on the agalmatolite Sarira reliquary and the four-directional Buddha images have several important characteristics and significance. The Sarira reliquaries from Donghwasa Temple were, unlike general excavated artifacts, collected separately owing to the grave robbery of all the main Sarira reliquaries; so it has a crucial limit that the situation of the burial status of the first time of their discovery cannot be exactly understood. However, it can be inferred that the gilt-bronze four-directional Buddha images known before made a square case on the gilt-bronze plate that was exactly their beneath and an agalmatolite Sarira reliquary was buried inside, as some material of the times of the burial was confirmed at the Sarira hole in the stone pagoda, though the quantity of the material is somewhat small. Also, gilted-wooden small pagoda was placed around the Sarira case and it is told that there was the original cap of the Sarira reliquary with a silver Sarira bottle inside and a glass Sarira bottle on the inner side, yet the whereabouts of them are a mystery now. In particular, the gap between the gilt-bronze case on the bottom and the square hole of the stone pagoda was fixed with resin, and the square plate at the bottom and the four-directional Buddha images were not completely combined but each plate was fixed with nails through small halls of the outside of that plate, I suppose. Therefore, I presume the four pieces of gily-bronze plates were separately robbed in the course of the grave robbery while the gilt-bronze plated at the bottom remained. The agalmatolite Sarira reliquary, supposed to be changed and progressed from the bone jar of the Unified Silla Kingdom, are engraved with the grid patterns and recorded with a long inscription of 38 lines of seven characters in each line. Despite there was some damaged part in the body when we comprehend the record on the remained inscription on the outside we can find that tit is a wish on the building of the stone pagoda for the bliss in the other world of King Minae the great in 863 A.D., 24 years after the death of him. Such building of pagodas for the bliss for the Royal Household can be already seen in the pagoda in Hwangboksa Temple in the first half of the 8th century, but it was in the real vogue in the 9th century: Dongwhwasa Temple and the pagodas around it are understood as the representative temple for blessing in the direct relation of the Royal Household. Moreover, the inscription inform us of some concrete and exact life of King Minae the great: another name his, his birth as the first son of King Seongang the great, his year of birth that is the 9th year of the reign of King Heondeok(817) and his date of death, January 23th, 839, at the age of 23. Particularly; the Buddhist monk Simji (心智) and he supervised the building of the stone pagoda in Biroam and the manufacturing of the Sarira case; this fact makes it more clear that Donghwasa Temple was the prominent temple for blessing for the Royal Household. It is also significant that a Buddhist monk artisan named Bumgak(梵覺) who made Sarira cases in the Unified Silla Kingdom was identified. The four gilt-bronze plates protecting Sarira reliquary have a form of four-directional Buddha, that is1 Buddha triad on each side and they are exquisitely engraved with embossing and lines. Both edges of each plate are rolled toward inside and there are four holes each with a regular interval on the outside. therefore I suppose the four plates were combined and made into a square case. Among the Triad, the main Buddha is seated on the three-layered pedestal, sitting with one leg completely; having halos on the body and head and there is magnificent canopy above his head.