Sawlumin inscription


The Sawlumin inscription is one of the oldest surviving stone inscriptions in Myanmar. The slabs were mainly inscribed in Burmese, Pyu, Mon and Pali, and a few lines in Sanskrit. According to an early analysis, the stele was founded in 1079 by King Saw Lu of Pagan (Bagan).

Discovery

Three broken slabs of the inscription were discovered in Myittha Township, Mandalay Region on 17 November 2013 and a fourth piece was found on 27 November 2013. A fifth piece is still missing. The found four pieces were rejoined and currently stands in Petaw monastery. The slab size is in height, and in breadth.

Initial analyses

The initial readings of the slabs threatened to upend the current understanding of Pagan-era dates. The initial reports claimed that King Saw Lu founded the inscription. They contained the year 415 ME, presumably as its inscription date. Moreover, the initial reports conjectured that the fifth script might be Tai-Yuan, Gon Shan, over two centuries earlier than the earliest known evidence of a Tai-Shan script.
However, at least one subsequent analysis does not agree with some of the initial readings. According to Bee Htaw Monzel, the slabs were indeed founded by Saw Lu and mainly inscribed in Burmese, Pyu, Mon and Pali, and a few lines of Sanskrit. His analysis finds that the Mon and Pyu versions state 441 as the year of inscription, and that the Pyu version also gives the 10th month and the 3rd day.
Bee Htaw Monzel's translation of the extant inscriptions can be summarized as:
  • King Saw Lu reconstructed the recently ravaged pagoda in Myittha, which was originally built by his grandfather;
  • The king dedicated the reconstructed pagoda on Wednesday, full moon of Pyatho 441 ME ;
  • The king donated a statue of the Buddha in the size of the king's own body along with 10 persons, oxen and paddy fields to care for the pagoda

Significance

Whether the inscription was inscribed in 1079 CE, if the readings are confirmed, the inscription appears to be the earliest evidence of the Burmese-Mon script.
Furthermore, the initial reading of 415 ME as the date of the inscription's foundation would have upended the current understanding of the early Pagan period.
  • If 1053/54 proves to be the inscription date, it would be:
  • If 1053/54 proves to be the inscription date, and if it was inscribed during Saw Lu's reign as king, it would mean that:
  • If the fifth script, currently speculated as the Tai-Yuan, Gon Shan or an early Nāgarī script, is confirmed to be an early form of Tai-Shan script,

Current status

As of April 2014, about 60 percent of the tablets had been deciphered. They have deciphered all of the Mon and Pali text and about 10 percent of Pyu. A copy of text in the Nagari writing system used in northern India and Nepal has been sent to the Archaeological Survey of India for deciphering. The Indian department replies that the inscription is not preserved in better condition. Some letters are peeled off and some are worn out. Only few letters in lines 6 and 7 are well preserved. The Indian department reveals that the inscription is engraved in early Nagari characters, retaining some of the features of Siddhamatrika or Kutila scripts.
What has been translated so far describes the donation of a monastery, Maha Anuruda Deva Rama, by King Saw Lu and his wife Manicanda.