Lakṣacaitya-dharma

An anonymous Buddhist narrative text dealing with the merits associated with the worship and construction of caityas. The extant portion centres on Vasubandhu Bodhisattva and describes the propagation of the Lakṣacaitya-dharma among gods, humans, and beings of the nāga-world. References to Indra, devas, nāgas, and gandharvas, together with repeated mention of caitya rites and the manifestation of the Dharma throughout heaven, earth, and the nether regions, indicate that the work belongs to the Mahāyāna Buddhist devotional tradition. The concluding verses invoke auspiciousness and welfare for the scribe and mention a date corresponding to Saṃvat 988, bright fortnight of Caitra, tenth lunar day. On the basis of the contents, the manuscript may tentatively be identified with a text connected with the Lakṣacaitya-vrata or Lakṣacaitya-dharma tradition, although the absence of a complete title in the colophon precludes a definitive identification.