Urna

In Buddhist art and culture, the Urna (ūrṇā, ūrṇākeśa or ūrṇākośa[1][2] (Pāli uṇṇa), and known as 白毫; báiháo in Chinese) is a spiral or circular dot placed on the forehead of Buddhist images as an auspicious mark.[2][3]

For the Mongolian singer, see Urna (singer).
Translations of
Urna
Sanskritऊर्णा
(IAST: ūrṇā)
Paliउण्ण
(uṇṇa)
Chinese白毫
(Pinyin: Báiháo)
Japanese白毫
(Rōmaji: byakugō)
Korean백호
(RR: baekho)
Tibetanམཛོད་སྦུས་
(Wylie: mdzod spu)
VietnameseBạch mao tướng
Glossary of Buddhism

As set out in the Lakkhana Sutta or 'Discourse on Marks', the ūrṇā is the thirty-first physical characteristic of Buddha.[4] It is generally thought to be a whorl of hair and be a mark or sign of the Buddha as a mahāpuruṣa or great being. The device is often seen on sculptures from the 2nd century CE.

  • Buddha with urna depicted as a circular dot
    Buddha with urna depicted as a circular dot
  • Buddha sculpture found within the vihāra of Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Thailand, 16th century CE
    Buddha sculpture found within the vihāra of Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, Thailand, 16th century CE
  • The unalome (อุณาโลม) yantra is a stylised representation of the urna.
    The unalome (อุณาโลม) yantra is a stylised representation of the urna.

See also

References
  1. Buswell, Robert Jr; Lopez, Donald S. Jr., eds. (2013). ūrṇākeśa, in: a Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691157863.
  2. "The Lost Buddhas: Chinese Buddhist Sculpture from Qingzhou". Asian Art. April 14, 2012. Archived from the original on June 24, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  3. Stratton, Carol (2004). Buddhist Sculpture of Northern Thailand. Serindia Publications. p. 50. ISBN 9781932476095.
  4. Holt, John Clifford; Kinnard, Jacob N.; Walters, Jonathan S. (2012). Constituting Communities: Theravada Buddhism and the Religious Cultures of South and Southeast Asia. SUNY Press. p. 191. ISBN 9780791487051.
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