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 -
| 0351 |
Sand-Buried Ruins of Khotan : vol.1 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
doubt that they could have got there only by accident. Their
distribution in varying depths and places suggests that they had
fallen in from an upper storey, while the basement was gradually
filling up with drift-sand. This assumption was fully borne out by
the small pieces of felt, leather, oilcakes ('kunjara'), and similar
refuse which turned up in the same layers. The pagination
numerals which I could make out on the margin of some leaves,
and which in one instance go up to 132, plainly showed that the
pieces thus rescued were mere fragments of larger texts which had
probably perished with the destruction of the upper floor.
The earlier these fragments had reached the safe resting-place
offered by the sand-covered basement, the more extensive they
might reasonably be expected to be. So I watched with growing
eagerness the progress my men made on the 23rd of December in
clearing the sand nearer down to the original floor. It was no
easy task, for the drift-sand from the slope of the dune to the
south was ever slipping to fill the space laboriously cleared, and
as the wall on that side had apparently decayed long ago, addi-
tional exertions were needed. As the work proceeded towards
the centre of the room a massive beam of poplar wood, nearly a
foot in thickness, was laid bare. Its length, close on 19 feet,
and its position showed that it had once stretched right across the
room, undoubtedly supporting its roof. Two well-carved octagonal
posts with bell-shaped capitals surmounted by a circular band, in
which I easily recognised the Amalaka ornament of Indian archi-
tecture, had turned up before; they had undoubtedly served to
support this central beam.
A little beyond the latter, towards the east, the men clearing the
sand just above the floor came upon a closely-packed bundle of
manuscript leaves, evidently still retaining the order they had
occupied in the original 'Pothi.' A little later two more packets
of leaves belonging to the identical manuscript were brought to
light, practically intact, though the action of moisture to which
these leaves must have once been subjected, owing to their position
not far above the ground, had stuck them closely together and made
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
12
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
22
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
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
.
.
.
.
|
.
349
350
351
352
353
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
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.
