The Ramaka Casket; Inscribed Reliquary, Donated by Ramaka

Title: The Ramaka Casket; Inscribed Reliquary, Donated by Ramaka

Date: 1st century CE

Culture: Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara, Bajaur)

Medium: Schist

Dimensions: H. 2 15/16 in. (7.5 cm); Diam. 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Samuel Eilenberg Collection, Gift of Samuel Eilenberg, 1987

Object Number: 1987.142.71a, b

Inscription: One-line inscription on the inside of the lid and two line inscription on the body of the reliquary:

"Donation of Ramaka, son of Mahasrava. (Donation) of Ramaka, son of Mahasrava, inhabitant of the village of Kamti. From him (come) the relics. The relics are abundantly deposited. All those who are worthy to be honored are honored." (English translation by the author from the French by Fussman (1980, p. 5).

Samuel Eilenberg American, born Poland, New York (until 1987; donated to MMA)

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Lotus Transcendent: Indian and Southeast Asian Art from the Samuel Eilenberg Collection," October 2, 1991–June 28, 1992.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Pala-Sena Period," 2007.

New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Eternal Ancestors: The Art of the Central African Reliquary," October 1, 2007–March 2, 2008.

Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture. "Agents of Faith: Votive Objects in Time and Place," September 14, 2018–January 6, 2019.

Kurita Isao 栗田功. Gandara bijutsu ガンダーラ美術 (Gandharan art). Vol.2, Budda no sekai 佛陀の世界 (The World of the Buddha) Tokyo: Nigensha, 1990, p. 270, cat. no. 818.

Martin Lerner, and Steven Kossak. The Lotus Transcendent: Indian and Southeast Asian Art from the Samuel Eilenberg Collection. Exh. cat. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1991, pp. 76–77, cat. no. 39.

Behrendt, Kurt. The Art of Gandhara in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007, p. 23, cat. no. 20.