National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books
|
|
Color Thumbnail -
Table of Contents -
Page Number -
Biliographic Information (Metadata) -
Caption -
Color Image -
Gray HighRes. Image -
Facing Pages -
Graphics -
| 0130 |
On Ancient Central-Asian Tracks : vol.1 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
we first recovered long detached leaves of paper manu-
scripts, then whole little packets of folia (Fig. 33). They could
at once be recognized by me as written in early Indian
Brahmi script, containing Buddhist texts partly in Sanskrit,
the classical language of India in which the canonical litera-
ture of Northern Buddhism is composed, and partly in a
previously unknown language which has proved to have
been the indigenous tongue of the Khotan population.
The writing as well as the shape and arrangement of these
manuscripts are, of course, derived from India, the original
home of Buddhism. But the researches of competent scholars,
working partly on materials which had been secured pre-
viously from Khotan as the result of local 'treasure-seeking'
operations, have proved that old Khotanese language to be
Iranian. It appears to have been closely allied with that
spoken in the early centuries of our era in ancient Bactria
and elsewhere on the Middle Oxus. We know that Buddhist
cult and doctrine had penetrated very early through the
present Afghanistan into that part of Eastern Iran, and
there can be no doubt that Buddhism and the Indian cul-
tural influences associated with it had reached the Tarim
basin first, if not solely, through the same region. Buddhist
cult and iconography can be shown to have absorbed
Iranian elements also on this passage.
Their impact is illustrated in a very striking fashion
by a remarkable and fairly well-preserved painted panel
(Fig. 32) which came to light as a votive deposit in one of
the temple cellas cleared. On one side is seen the figure of
a powerful male, wholly Persian in physical appearance and
style of dress, yet obviously intended for a Buddhist divinity.
The long ruddy face, surrounded by a heavy black beard,
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
13
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
23
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
33
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
45
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
57
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
68
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
79
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
89
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
100
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
111
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
122
.
.
.
.
127
129
130
131
133
134
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
145
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
157
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
168
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
178
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
189
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
200
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
212
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
225
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
237
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
248
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
259
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
273
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
284
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
295
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
306
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
317
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
327
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
337
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
352
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
364
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
377
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
391
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
406
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
418
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
431
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
442
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
453
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
466
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
477
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
491
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
502
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
513
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
525
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
537
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
550
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
561
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
571
.
.
.
.
|
578
Copyright (C) 2003-2019
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
