# PYU 46. Maunggan Gold Leaves

Arlo Griffiths and D. Christian Lammerts

Authors of digital edition: Arlo Griffiths, D. Christian Lammerts

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPYU00046

Repository: Pyu (tfc-pyu-epigraphy)

File path: DHARMA_INSPYU00046.xml

Language: Pali [Southeast Asian Brāhmī (unspecified)]

Commit: 2026-09-09 14:27 (899538b), last modified 2026-09-09 14:27
(899538b)

## Palaeographic description

Southeast Asian Brāhmī typical of the Pali inscriptions of the Pyu
civilization.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Edition

⟨Page 1r: First leaf (Or5340A)⟩

⟨1r1⟩ /⫶/ ye dhammā hetupabhavā _ tesaṁ hetu⟨ṁ⟩ tathāgato _ Āha tesañ ca
yo nirodho _ Evaṁvādi mahāsamano ti ∥ cattāro Iddhipādā ⟨2⟩ cattāro
sammappadhānā _ cattāro satipaṭṭhānā _ cattāri Ariyasaccāni _
catuves⟨ā⟩rajjāni _ pañcindriyāni _ pañcacakkhūni _
cha⟨3⟩Asaddhāraṇ(ā)ni _ sattabojjhaṅgā _ Ariyo Aṭṭhiṅgiko maggo _
navalokuttarā dhammā _ dasabal⟨ā⟩ni _ cundasa buddhaññāni
Aṭṭhārasabuddhadhammāni

⟨Page 2r: Second leaf (Or5340B)⟩

⟨1⟩ ∥ ye dhammā hetupabhavā _ tesa⟨ṁ⟩ hetu⟨ṁ⟩ tathāgato Āha _ tesañ ca
yo nirodho _ Evaṁvādi mahāsama(n)o ti _ Iti pi so bhagavā Arahaṁ ⟨2⟩
sammāsaṁbuddho _ vijjācaraṇasappanno _ sugato lokavidu _ Anuttaro
purisadammasārathī _ satthā devamanussānaṁ _ buddho bhagavā ti ⟨3⟩
svākhyāto bhagavatā dhammo _ sandiṭṭhiko _ Akāl⟨i⟩ko _ Ehipassiko _
[O]paṇāyiko _ paccattaṁ veditavvo _ viññūhī ti /⫶/

## Apparatus

⟨1r1⟩ /⫶/ ⬦ ∥ TN • The opening mark stands in the margin; the same sign
is repeated atthe end of leaf 2. It is a simpler version of the one seen
at the end of PYU 44. — ⟨1r1⟩ tesañ ca • There is a rightward curl at
the top of the vertical element in <ñ>, that could possibly be
interpreted as <-ā>, but we assume it is a somewhat overdone serif. —
⟨1r1⟩ Evaṁvādi mahāsamano • The expected form would be Evaṁvādī
mahāsamaṇo. Same irregularities in leaf 2.

⟨1r2⟩ satipaṭṭhānā ⬦ satipaṭṭhāuā TN • (misprint) — ⟨1r2⟩ Ariyasaccāni ⬦
Ariyasacohāni TN • (misprint)

⟨1r3⟩ Asaddhāraṇ(ā)ni • Tun Nyein corrects Asādhāraṇāni in note. — ⟨1r3⟩
Aṭṭhiṅgiko • Tun Nyein corrects Aṭṭhaṅgiko in note. — ⟨1r3⟩ dasabal⟨ā⟩ni
• Tun Nyein silently corrects dasabalāni. — ⟨1r3⟩ cundasa • Tun Nyein
silently corrects cuddasa. — ⟨1r3⟩ buddhaññāni ⬦ buddhakoni TN •
correcting buddhayonī in note; emend buddhañāṇāni.

⟨2r1⟩ ∥ • The two bars are connected by a small cross-bar. — ⟨2r1⟩
Evaṁvādi mahāsamano • The expected form would be Evaṁvādī mahāsamaṇo.
Same irregularities in leaf 1.

⟨2r2⟩ -sappanno • Tun Nyein corrects -sampanno in note. — ⟨2r2⟩ -sārathī
⬦ -sārathi TN.

⟨2r3⟩ Akāl⟨i⟩ko ⬦ Akāliko TN • Silent correction. — ⟨2r3⟩ [O]paṇāyiko •
Tun Nyein corrects Opanayiko in note. Editions of the canon show either
Opaneyyika or Opanāyiko. — ⟨2r3⟩ /⫶/ ⬦ || TN • The closing sign here
corresponds to the opening sign of leaf 1, and reveals that the two
leaves form one whole.

## Bibliography

First edited by Tun Nyein (1898–1899); published again — with some
improvements offset by a number of inaccuracies — by Finot (1912).

Based on published reproductions and photographs furnished by the
British Library, the inscription was re-edited and published on our
experimental website. The XML source code underlying the latter
(Griffiths et al. 2018–03–26) was adapted for this database by Arlo
Griffiths in 2026.

### Primary

[TN] Tun Nyein. 1898–1899. “Maunggun Gold Plates.” EI 5, pp. 101–102.

[F] Finot, Louis. 1912. “Un nouveau document sur le bouddhisme birman.”
JA 20, pp. 121–136. Pages 130–132.

Griffiths, Arlo, Marc Miyake & Julian K. Wheatley. 2018–03–26. “Corpus
of Pyu inscriptions.” Zenodo. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1207290. [URL]. Item
PYU046.

### Secondary

ARASI 1907–08. Archaeological Survey of India Annual Report 1907–8.
Calcutta: Superintendent of Government Printing, 1911. Page 41.

Taw Sein Ko. 1914. “Excavations at Hmawza near Prome.” Annual Report of
the Archaeological Survey of India 1909-10, pp. 113–123. Page 115.

Mon Bo Kay [mvan bui ke]. 1961. “ye dhammā hetuppabhavā nhaṅ. rheḥ hoṅḥ
paccaññḥ myāḥ [Ye dhammā hetuppabhavā and ancient artefacts].” yañ kyeḥ
mhu maggajaṅḥ [Culture Magazine] 3 (9), pp. 105–123. Pages 112, 115.

Tha Myat [sā mrat]. 1963. pyū phat cā: pyū akkharā samuiṅḥ [Pyu Reader:
a History of the Pyu Alphabet]. Yangon: uḥ lha daṅ [U Hla Din]. Pages
44–56.

Luce, Gordon H. 1985. Phases of pre-Pagán Burma: languages and history.
2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Volume I, 61, 73 n. 2, 175,
volume II, plates 98b i, ii.

Griffiths, Arlo, Bob Hudson, Marc Miyake & Julian Wheatley. 2017.
“Studies in Pyu Epigraphy, I: State of the Field, Edition and Analysis
of the Kan Wet Khaung Mound Inscription, and Inventory of the Corpus.”
BEFEO 103, pp. 43–205. DOI: 10.3406/befeo.2017.6247. [URL]. Pages
166–167, item PYU 46.