The Pancha Raksha, literally “five protectors”, is an early Sanskrit text which contains invocations to the five female tutelary deities associated with the five Transcendent Buddhas. This handwritten manuscript is particularly valuable, not least because it is preserved almost in its entirety – although it is close to 900 years old. This is unusual for palm leaf manuscripts, especially in view of its almost unblemished condition. Such manuscripts often fell prey to insects and humidity.
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