Seal with mantra in Vartu script
early 15th century
China
Written in Vartu script, the six characters engraved on the bottom of this seal read "aa-ra-pa-tza-na-dhi," which is a mantra of Manjusri, the bodhisattva of wisdom. First developed in India, Vartu script was adapted from cursive Sanskrit by Tibetan monks for ritual use from the eleventh century onward.












