A Fragment of the Uṣṇīṣavijayā Dhāraṇī from Turfan Housed in the Museum für Asiatische Kunst in Berlin

Abstract

This paper deals with an edition of a newly identified fragment of the Uṣṇīṣavijayā Dhāraṇī in Old Uyghur from Turfan, which is preserved in the collection of Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Museum of Asian Art) in Berlin. The fragment basically represents the dhāraṇī part of the Uṣṇīṣavijayā Dhāraṇī in Old Uyghur script. The fragment is compared with the parallel Old Uyghur fragments that also include the dhāraṇī section and are preserved in the Berlin Turfan collection. The transcription and transliteration of the work is given. Its versions in other languages are compared to explore differences between the texts. Finally, a reconstructed text is presented.