Seals & Sealings kept at Nalanda Archaeological Museum, District Nalanda Bihar

Author: Vijay Kumar & Alok Ranjan
Abstract: This article by Vijay Kumar & Alok Ranjan gives the details of – seals & sealings found from Nalanda. These mainly consists of Buddhist formulas, some of them are monastic seals, a few belong to Buddhist preachers & scholars and very few belong to other religious sects. The statistical analysis of seals & sealings found during different period reveals that Nalanda became a prominent seat of knowledge between 7th & 12th century A.D. Similar analysis of the seals with Buddhist formula reveals that the use of these seals & sealings for consecrating votive stupas and larger stupas started from 7th century A.D. and ended around 12th century A.D. This is the period when the concept of Dharma kaya evolved and took deep roots.

Summary:

The article by Vijay Kumar and Alok Ranjan provides an in-depth analysis of seals and sealings discovered at Nalanda, primarily featuring Buddhist formulas. These include monastic seals, seals attributed to Buddhist scholars and preachers, and a few from other religious sects. Statistical evaluation of the finds suggests that Nalanda flourished as a major center of learning between the 7th and 12th centuries A.D. The study also shows that the use of these seals for consecrating votive and large stupas began in the 7th century and declined by the 12th century, a period that coincides with the evolution and entrenchment of the Dharmakāya concept in Mahayana Buddhism.

Keywords:
Nalanda, seals and sealings, Buddhist formulas, monastic seals, votive stupas, Dharmakāya, Buddhist scholarship, 7th–12th century A.D., religious iconography.