  
  About the Artwork
  
  
  This manuscript &acirc;&#128;&#148; considered a physical embodiment of the Buddha's wisdom &acirc;&#128;&#148; is both an object of learning and one of devotion. Devotees study and recite its text, believed to be the Buddha's own words. The illustrations, which depict Buddhist deities and events from the Buddha's life, enhance the manuscript's sacred power.
Hundreds of manuscripts like this one were produced in eastern India, an important hub for Buddhist scholars and pilgrims. At some point, a visiting devotee brought this manuscript to Nepal, where the covers were made centuries later.
  
  
  Title
  Manuscript of the "Perfection of Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses"
  
  
  Artwork Date
  ca. 1160
  
  Artist
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  Life Dates
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  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Indian
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Ink and opaque watercolor on palm leaf
  
  
  Dimensions
  2 1/4 x 18 1/2 in. (5.7 x 47.0 cm)-sight
  
  
  Classification
  Manuscripts
  
  
  Department
  Asian Art
  
  
  Credit
  Gift of P. Jackson Higgs
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum&acirc;&#128;&#153;s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  27.586.100A
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
  
  
  
