Seal with mantra in Vartu script

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art