Terracotta Molded Tablet from the Relic Chamber of Shwehsandaw pagoda, Pagan

Authors of digital edition: Arlo Griffiths (argr), Marc Miyake (mami), Julian Karl Wheatley (jukw).

Languages: Pyu (pyx) [Script (other) (script_other)], Sanskrit (san) [Script (other) (script_other)].

Repository: Pyu Epigraphy (tfc-pyu-epigraphy).

Identifier: DHARMA_INSPYU00074.

File path: DHARMA_INSPYU00074.xml.

Version: 2026-07-17 15:37 (bd0ad9f), last modified 2026-07-17 15:37 (bd0ad9f).

Edition

Part Front

⟨1⟩ ye dha(rmmā) (he)tu(prabhavā) hetu(ṁ) t(e)ṣā(ṁ) h(e)tu tathāgato Av(a)

⟨2⟩ teṣāñ ca yo n(ī)rodho Evavād(ī) mahāśamaṇa

Part Back

⟨1⟩ || 0 || yaṁ ḅaṁḥ bhagaṃ-
⟨2⟩ va O diṃṁ (d)raḥ (ke/sva)ḥ saḥma-
⟨3⟩ dhiḥ sri bañaṇa ḅiṁḥ mgaṃḥ
⟨4⟩ sa⟨⟨va⟩⟩ñoda nirvaṃ O ṅo kto knaṁḥ mtraḥ
⟨5⟩ rtiṁ mtu ḅaṁḥ (mba) metriya O nbu budha
⟨6⟩ O daṃṁ hliṁḥ tmu ḅa⟨⟨ḥ⟩⟩ naḥ _ sadhu sadhu kliṁḥ kliṁḥ

Apparatus

⟨Front 1⟩ dha(rmmā) (he)tu(prabhavā) • After dharmmā, where it seems possible to us to assume presence of repha ignored by Bo Mon Kay, this entire sequence becomes almost entirely unverifiable on the available image, and we adopt the reading of our predecessor.

⟨Front 2⟩ teṣāñ • Mon Bo Kay assumes presence of the akṣara da before this, but we believe line 2 starts with te.

⟨Back 2⟩ ma • Mya gives two small strokes below <ma>. This must be his representatiom of the two very short horizontal strokes below the <ma> that appear in the inscription.

⟨Back 5⟩ metriya • Mya seems to have seen a superscript <r> (repha) in the above the <t>, but it is certainly not clear, and since he must have known it is not expected, one wonders what he was trying to represent.

⟨1⟩ dha(rmmā) ⬦ dhammā MBK.

⟨2⟩ teṣāñ ca ⬦ da teṣā(ñca) MBK. — ⟨2⟩ diṃṁ ⬦ diḥ Mya. — ⟨2⟩ (d)raḥ ⬦ traḥ Mya. — ⟨2⟩ (ke/sva)ḥ ⬦ keḥ Mya.

⟨3⟩ dhiḥ ⬦ baiḥ Mya. — ⟨3⟩ bañaṇa ⬦ ba ñā no Mya. — ⟨3⟩ mgaṃḥ ⬦ mgaḥ Mya.

⟨4⟩ sa⟨⟨va⟩⟩ñoda ⬦ sa va ño da Mya. — ⟨4⟩ kto ⬦ kno Mya.

⟨5⟩ rtiṁ ⬦ tīṁ Mya. — ⟨5⟩ (mba) metriya ⬦ A ra me rtri ya Mya. — ⟨5⟩ O ⬦ Uṁ Mya. — ⟨5⟩ nbu ⬦ tñaṁ Mya.

⟨6⟩ O ⬦ ṭho Mya. — ⟨6⟩ daṃṁ ⬦ daṁ Mya. — ⟨6⟩ hliṁḥ ⬦ hḷiḥ Mya. — ⟨6⟩ ḅa⟨⟨ḥ⟩⟩ ⬦ ba Mya. — ⟨6⟩ kliṁḥ kliṁḥ ⬦ nṅiḥ nṅiḥ Mya.

Translation

Sri Bañaṇa; mentions Metriya

Commentary

2–3: saḥmadhiḥ: is this from Indic samādhi?

3. bañaṇa: from Pali paññāṇa? The name was misread by Luce as Bañano.

4. sa⟪va⟫ñoda: from Pali sabbaññutā?

4. nirvaṃ: connection with nirvāṇa? To be emended thus?

6. For the phrase sadhu sadhu kliṁḥ kliṁḥ, cf. PYU 20. Note palaeograhic change in shape of <-l>.

Bibliography

First reported in ASI, where it is described as six lines of Pyu on the reverse with mention of a possible donor, <sri bañaṇa> and the Buddha <metriya>. Reported in Mya1961a, with Burmese transliteration, and then again in Tha Myat [sā mrat] 1963, p. 77 with a slightly different transliteration plus a tentative translation. MonBoKay1961a provides a transliteration of the “Nāgarī” inscription on the obverse. Luce, in Luce & Ba Shin 1969–1970, pp. I, 99–100, II, 25, and in Luce & Ba Shin 1969–1970, pp. II, 25, summarizes. Re-edited here from published photographs.

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<p>Text on front reproduced and transliterated into Burmese script by <bibl><ptr target="bib:MonBoKay1961a"/></bibl>; text on back transliterated into Burmese script by <bibl><ptr target="bib:Mya1961a"/></bibl> (no distinction being made between <b> and <ḅ>, no account being given of underdot <'>); the present edition as far as possible based on our own inspection of the avilable reproductions.</p>

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<unclear>he</unclear>tu<unclear>prabhavā</unclear> hetu<unclear>ṁ</unclear> t<unclear>e</unclear>ṣā<unclear>ṁ</unclear> h<unclear>e</unclear>tu tathāgato Av<unclear>a</unclear>

<lb n="2"/>teṣāñ ca yo n<unclear>ī</unclear>rodho Evavād<unclear>ī</unclear> mahāśamaṇa </ab>

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<g>|| 0 ||</g> yaṁ ḅaṁḥ bhagaṃ

<lb n="2" break="no"/>va O

diṃṁ

<unclear>d</unclear>raḥ

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saḥma

<lb n="3" break="no"/>dhiḥ sri bañaṇa ḅiṁḥ mgaṃḥ

<lb n="4"/>sa<add place="below">va</add>ñoda nirvaṃ O ṅo kto knaṁḥ mtraḥ

rtiṁ mtu ḅaṁḥ <unclear>mba</unclear> metriya

nbu budha <lb n="6"/>O

daṃṁ

hliṁḥ tmu ḅa<add place="below">ḥ</add> naḥ <space type="horizontal" quantity="1" unit="character"/> sadhu sadhu kliṁḥ kliṁḥ

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(1) || 0 || yaṁ baṁḥ bha ga

(2) va °u diḥ traḥ keḥ saḥ ma

(3) baiḥ sri ba ñā no biṁḥ mgaḥ

(4) sa va ño da ni rva °u ṅo kno knaṁḥ mtraḥ

(5) tīṁ mtu baṁḥ °a ra me trir ya °uṁ tñaṁ bu dha

(6) ṭho daṁ hḷiḥ tmu ba naḥ sa dhu sa dhu nṅiḥ nṅiḥ

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<note>After <foreign>dharmmā</foreign>, where it seems possible to us to assume presence of <foreign>repha</foreign> ignored by Bo Mon Kay, this entire sequence becomes almost entirely unverifiable on the available image, and we adopt the reading of our predecessor.</note>

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<lem>teṣāñ</lem>

<note>Mon Bo Kay assumes presence of the akṣara <foreign>da</foreign> before this, but we believe line 2 starts with <foreign>te</foreign>.</note>

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<note>Mya gives two small strokes below <ma>. This must be his representatiom of the two very short horizontal strokes below the <ma> that appear in the inscription.</note>

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<lem>metriya</lem>

<note>Mya seems to have seen a superscript <r> (<foreign>repha</foreign>) in the above the <t>, but it is certainly not clear, and since he must have known it is not expected, one wonders what he was trying to represent.</note>

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<lem>teṣāñ ca</lem>

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<lem>bañaṇa</lem>

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<lem>mgaṃḥ</lem>

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<lem><unclear>mba</unclear> metriya</lem>

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<lem>hliṁḥ</lem>

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<lem>kliṁḥ kliṁḥ</lem>

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<p>Sri Bañaṇa; mentions Metriya</p>

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<p>2–3: saḥmadhiḥ: is this from Indic samādhi?</p>

<p>3. bañaṇa: from Pali paññāṇa? The name was misread by Luce as Bañano.</p>

<p>4. sa⟪va⟫ñoda: from Pali sabbaññutā?</p>

<p>4. nirvaṃ: connection with nirvāṇa? To be emended thus?</p>

<p>6. For the phrase sadhu sadhu kliṁḥ kliṁḥ, cf. PYU 20. Note palaeograhic change in shape of <-l>. </p>

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<p>First reported in <bibl><ptr target="bib:ASI"/><citedRange> 1926-27, 164</citedRange></bibl>, where it is described as six lines of Pyu on the reverse with mention of a possible donor, <sri bañaṇa> and the Buddha <metriya>. Reported in <bibl xml:id="Mya"><ptr target="bib:Mya1961a"/><citedRange>I, 23-4</citedRange></bibl>, with Burmese transliteration, and then again in <bibl><ptr target="bib:ThaMyat1963_01"/><citedRange>77</citedRange></bibl> with a slightly different transliteration plus a tentative translation. <bibl xml:id="MBK"><ptr target="bib:MonBoKay1961a"/><citedRange>122 (bottom)</citedRange></bibl> provides a transliteration of the “Nāgarī” inscription on the obverse. Luce, in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Luce+BaShin1969-1970_01"/><citedRange>I, 99-100, II, 25</citedRange></bibl>, and in <bibl><ptr target="bib:Luce+BaShin1969-1970_01"/><citedRange>II, 25</citedRange></bibl>, summarizes. Re-edited here from published photographs.</p>

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