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The five knots of hair represent the five syllables of a Sanskrit invocation, a-ra-paca- na, used in devotions to the bodhisattva of wisdom. Each syllable has a different meaning and can help a devotee gain such benefits as protection from illness.
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遼 鎏金青銅五髻文殊菩薩像
Title: Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom, with five knots of hair (Wuji wenshu)
Period: Liao dynasty (907–1125)
Date: mid-11th century
Culture: China
Medium: Gilt bronze; lost-wax cast
Dimensions: H. 6 1/4 in. (15.9 cm); W. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm); D. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm)
Classification: Sculpture
Credit Line: Purchase, Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation, Janet Neff Charitable Trust and Christian Humann Gifts; Mrs. Robert Herndon Fife Gift, in memory of her husband; and Seymour Fund, 1967
Object Number: 67.228
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