X-ray scans reveal Buddhist prayers inside tiny Tibetan scrolls
8 days ago
- #Cultural heritage
- #Buddhist artifacts
- #X-ray tomography
- A delicate, antique Buddhist scroll crafted by Mongolian nomads was examined using 3D X-ray tomography and AI.
- The scroll, a dharani, was part of a portable shrine (gungervaa) used by Buddhist families in Mongolia.
- Many such artifacts were destroyed during the Soviet-backed Mongolian Revolution of 1921, but one survived and ended up in Germany's Ethnological Museum.
- The scroll was scanned using synchrotron tomography, a method that creates 3D representations from microscopic X-ray images.
- Researchers discovered the scroll contained over 31.5-inch strips of parchment with ink traces, including metal particles.
- One section of the scroll featured the Tibetan Buddhist mantra 'Om mani padme hum' written in Sanskrit grammar.
- The study highlights the potential of X-ray tomography for examining fragile artifacts without physical damage, though it remains labor-intensive.