南京大报恩寺遗址出土阿育王塔所用木材的树种鉴定

Wood identification of the wooden parts from the gilded-pagoda excavated at Dabaoen Temple site in Nanjing

对2008年南京市博物馆组织发掘南京大报恩寺遗址地宫埋藏的宋代七宝阿育王塔所用木材进行了树种鉴定。鉴定结果表明:阿育王塔中两个木构件所用木材均为产自印度的檀香(Santalum album)。经分析可以推断阿育王塔所处的天禧寺在北宋"大中祥符四年"(公元1011年)时期具有较高的佛教地位。

An archaeological excavation of the Dabaoen Temple site was presided by Nanjing Prefectural Museum in 2008. It is a world-shaking occurrence that one Northern Song Dynasty gorgeous gilded-pagoda was discovered in an underground palace. The main body of the gilded-pagoda was made of wood. Two wooden-parts taken from the gilded-pagoda were sampled and identified. The result showed that both parts were made of sandalwood （Santalum album） from India. Sandalwood is famously used in Buddhistic ceremonies and Buddhism sculptures in Southeast Asia, India and China. This discovery expresses that the site had significant meaning and high status in Buddhistic history.