Buddhist Relics; Sanchi; Sariputta; Moggallana; Victoria & Albert Museum; Maha Bodhi Society
摘要
Relics of Sariputta and Moggallana, two of the Buddha's closest disciples, were discovered by Fred. C. Maisey and Alexander Cunningham in a stupa at Sanchi in 1851 and were re-enshrined at the same place in November 1952. The exact whereabouts of the relics between these two dates has been uncertain, partly because both Buddhists and scholars have assumed, incorrectly, that the relics that were brought back to India had been in the possession of Mr Cunningham. The purpose of this article is to give a detailed account or the relics of Sariputta and Moggallana found at Sanchi. The account is based on correspondence and notes about the relics found in archives of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and on relevant sources published by the Maha Bodhi Society. I argue that the quarrel over the relics was an important part of the revival of Buddhism from the end of the nineteenth century. I also discuss how the relics of the two saints were used by the government of India as nationalist symbols.
