Sarira Reliquary from the Pagoda at Hwangboksa Temple Site

경주 황복사지 삼층석탑 사리구 慶州皇福寺址三層石塔舍利具 

Period : Unified Silla Period (668~935 AD) 

gilt-bronze sarira reliquary

In 1942, the three-story stone pagoda at the Hwangboksa Temple site in Guhwang-dong, Gyeongju was dismantled for restoration. Inside the pagoda, archaeologists discovered a gilt-bronze sarira reliquary, inscribed with the year 709 CE; inside the reliquary, they found these two gold Buddha statuettes, along with a silver mounted dish. 

inscription on the lid of the reliquary

According to the inscription on the lid of the reliquary, the pagoda was erected by the widow of King Sinmun (31st king of Silla) and his son, King Hyoso (32nd king), in 692, to honor the deceased ruler. The inscription also says that in 706, after the two royals had died, King Seongdeok (33rd king) commemorated their deaths by enshrining the sarira, along with a gold Amitabha Buddha and a copy of The Spotless Pure Light Dharani Sutra inside the pagoda. 

Stupas carved on the surface of the reliquary