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 -
| 0027 |
Sand-Buried Ruins of Khotan : vol.1 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
and documents were also unexpectedly ample and varied. The
Sanskrit manuscripts excavated at Dandan-Uiliq acquaint us with
that class of canonical Buddhist literature which we may assume to
have been most cherished in the monastic establishments of ancient
Khotan. The series of Chinese documents discovered in ruins of
the same site is of particular historical interest. The exact dates
recorded in them (781–790 A.D.), in combination with other evidence,
clearly indicate the close of the eighth century as the time when the
settlement was deserted, while their contents throw curious side-
lights on the economical and political conditions of the territory
immediately before Chinese suzerain power finally abandoned these
regions to Tibetan invasion. Sanskrit manuscripts and records in
Chinese mark foreign imports in the culture of Khotan. All the
more interest attaches to the numerous documents and fragmentary
texts from the same site which show an otherwise unknown
language, manifestly non-Sanskritic yet written in Indian Brahmi
characters; for it appears very probable that in them we have
records of the tongue actually spoken at that period by the
indigenous population of Khotan.
We see Sanskrit, Chinese and the same non-Sanskritic language
similarly represented among the literary finds from the ruined
temple of Endere, in the extreme east of the territory explored.
But here in addition there appears Tibetan, as if to remind us
of the prominent part which Tibet too has played in the history of
Central Asia. A curious Chinese graffito found on the wall of the
Endere temple clearly refers to the Tibetans, and gives a date
which, since its recent examination by Sinologists, can be safely
read as 719 A.D. It is probable that these finds of Tibetan
manuscripts are directly connected with that extension of Tibetan
power into Eastern Turkestan which the Chinese Annals record for
that very period.
But much older and of far greater importance than any of these
finds are the hundreds of Kharoshthi documents on wood and
leather brought to light from the ruined houses and the rubbish
heaps of the ancient settlement discovered beyond the point where
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
12
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
22
.
.
25
26
27
28
29
.
.
32
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
42
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
52
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
62
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
72
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
82
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
92
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
102
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
112
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
122
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
132
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
142
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
152
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
162
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
172
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
182
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
192
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
202
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
212
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
222
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
232
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
242
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
252
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
262
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
272
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
282
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
292
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
302
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
312
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
322
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
332
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
342
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
352
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
362
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
372
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
382
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
392
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
402
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
412
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
422
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
432
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
442
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
452
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
462
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
472
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
482
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
492
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
502
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
512
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
522
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
532
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
542
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
552
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
563
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
573
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
582
Copyright (C) 2003-2026
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
