ID: 700008978 Page link: http://vocab.getty.edu/page/cona/700008978	Record Type: Movable Work

Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī (manuscript (documents); unknown scribe; ca. 8th century; British Library (London, Greater London, England, United Kin...; Or.8212/81)

Note: From Mogao Grottoes Cave 17, Dunhuang, Gansu Province. This truncated manuscript preserves part of a popular Sanskrit incantation in two different scripts, the “Siddham” variety of Brahmi and interlinear Sogdian transliteration. While here both languages are oriented horizontally, the Brahmi reads left to right and the Sogdian right to left. Siddham was used to write Buddhist incantations across the medieval Sinitic world, in part due to the interest in proper pronunciation; this manuscript may thus have been inspired by Chinese Buddhist translingual practice. It provides valuable insight into Sogdian phonology, a Middle Iranian language spoken by the primary traders on the overland Silk Road between the 5th and 8th centuries, the cultural impact of which at Dunhuang is widely observed.

Titles:

Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī (preferred,C,U,RP,English-P,U,U)

Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī: in Sanskrit, in Brahmi Script, with Transliteration in Sogdian Script (C,U,DE,English,U,U)

婆羅米語手稿附粟特語音譯書梵文本千手千 眼觀世音菩薩大悲心陀羅尼經 (C,U,Chinese-P,U,U)

Catalog Level: item

Work Types:

manuscript (documents) [300028569] (preferred)

..... (Objects Facet, Visual and Verbal Communication (hierarchy name), Information Forms (hierarchy name), information forms (objects), document genres, <documents by conditions of production>)

Classifications:

manuscripts (preferred)

Creation Date: ca. 8th century

Creator Display:

unknown scribe [preferred]

scribe unknown (unknown cultural designation) [500125274]

Locations:

Current: British Library (London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom) [500301700] Corporate Bodies (Corp. Body)

Repository Numbers: Or.8212/81

Other: Discovery: Qianfodong [7029798] Gansu province (province), China (nation), Asia (continent), World (facet) (Geographic)

Display Materials: ink on paper

	ink [300015012]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by function>, coating (material), <coating by form>)

	paper (fiber product) [300014109]
	.......(Materials Facet, Materials (hierarchy name), materials (substances), <materials by form>, <materials by physical form>, <fiber and fiber by product>, <fiber by product>)

Dimensions: 14.5 × 129 cm (5 11⁄16 × 50 13⁄16 in.)

Cultures:

(preferred)

General Subject:

text (preferred)

Specific Subjects:

	Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī [901001355]
	.....((Literary works: Philosophy, Religion, Named written and performed works, Literature and Performing Arts)) (ICON)

	dhāraṇī [300404699]
	.....(Objects Facet, Visual and Verbal Communication (hierarchy name), Literary and Performing Arts Works (hierarchy name), incantations) (AAT)

	Sanskrit (language) [300389205]
	.....(Associated Concepts Facet, Associated Concepts (hierarchy name), language-related concepts, <languages and writing systems>, <languages and writing systems by specific type>, <temporary alphabetical list: languages and writing systems>) (AAT)

	Sogdian (script) [300404791]
	.....(Objects Facet, Components (hierarchy name), components (objects parts), <components by specific context>, information form components, <script and type forms>, scripts (writing), <scripts by form>, Syriac scripts) (AAT)

	Siddham (script) [300404792]
	.....(Objects Facet, Components (hierarchy name), components (objects parts), <components by specific context>, information form components, <script and type forms>, scripts (writing), <scripts by form>, Indic scripts) (AAT)

Related Works:

	former location was .... Mogao Cave 17 [700008877]
	..........rock-cut temple; N/A; begun 9th century

List/Hierarchical Position:

..... Movable Works

.......... Movable Works by class: drawings, paintings, prints, other two-dimensional media

............... Works at Mogao

Sources and Contributors:
Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī	........ [VP]
	........ British Library [online] (2000-)
Nīlakaṇṭha Dhāraṇī: in Sanskrit, in Brahmi Script, with Transliteration in Sogdian Script	........ [VP]
	........ Agnew, Reed, Ball, Cave Temples of Dunhuang (2016)
婆羅米語手稿附粟特語音譯書梵文本千手千 眼觀世音菩薩大悲心陀羅尼經	........ [VP]
	........ Agnew, Reed, Ball, Cave Temples of Dunhuang (2016)

Subject: ....... [VP]

....................... Agnew, Reed, Ball, Cave Temples of Dunhuang (2016) cat. 5

Note:
English	..... [VP]
	..... Agnew, Reed, Ball, Cave Temples of Dunhuang (2016) cat 5
	..... British Library [online] (2000-)