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The inscription on this black stone casket tells us that it originally contained relics of the Buddha’s. It may also have contained the kinds of shimmering objects you see nearby—glass beads, crystal, and gold. The Buddha’s enlightened physical remains were associated with light, so donors offered glistening materials to be enshrined with his relics. Relics were central to early Buddhist worship. According to religious texts, the Buddha’s cremated remains were placed into eight reliquaries, which were buried beneath dome-shaped mounds of earth, called stupas. Worshippers circled around the stupas to experience the Buddha’s enlightened presence.

In the third century B.C., King Ashoka, a great proponent of Buddhism, sought to bring the religion to his people. He opened the eight original stupas and divided the Buddha’s remains into 84,000 parts, which he had enshrined in stupas across his empire in Northern India. Later kings emulated Ashoka, opening stupas and further dividing the Buddha’s relics.

According to the inscription on this casket, it was donated by a prince named Indravarman. It tells us of the great merit generated, positive karma that would lead to a rebirth in heaven for Indravarman and his family. The creation of a new sacred area would have also helped to establish his political legitimacy. All of the reliquaries in this case were donated by such faithful Buddhists. To hear more about the earliest forms of Buddhist worship as you look at the other objects in this case, press play.