Grahi inscription is an
inscription
Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
found in
Chaiya, southern
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, written in
Old Khmer
Old Khmer is the oldest attested stage of the Khmer language, an Austroasiatic language historically and presently spoken across Cambodia, Southern Vietnam, and parts of Thailand and Laos. It is recorded in inscriptions dating from the early 7th c ...
language with Old Sumatran script, and dated to 1183 CE.
This inscription is written on the
pedestal
A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ci ...
of a bronze Buddha statue, that is stored at Wat Hua Wiang temple.
The name ''Grahi'', called ''Kia-lo-hi'' in Chinese record
Zhu Fan Zhi
''Zhu Fan Zhi'' (), variously translated as '' A Description of Barbarian Nations'', ''Records of Foreign People'', or other similar titles, is a 13th-century Song Dynasty work by Zhao Rukuo. The work is a collection of descriptions of countrie ...
, is considered to be the old name of Chaiya.
The city was part of
Tambralinga
Tambralinga ( sa, Tāmbraliṅga) was an Indianised kingdom located on the Malay Peninsula, existing at least from the 10th to 13th century. It was under the influence of Srivijaya for some time, but later became independent from it. The name ha ...
, once a border polity between
Srivijaya
Srivijaya ( id, Sriwijaya) was a Buddhist thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia), which influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important centre for the expansion of Buddhism from the 7th t ...
and
Khmer kingdoms in the
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula (Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area ...
.
Text
The transliteration of the inscription according to
Cœdès is as follows:
# 11006 ''(sic)''
#
#
#
#
Translation
The approximate translation of the inscription is as follows:
:''In the year of Saka 1105 (1183 CE),
on the orders of
Kamraten An Maharaja Srimat Trailokyaraja Maulibhusanavarmadeva, on the third day of the rising month of Jyestha, Wednesday, Mahasenapati Galanai
alanai who governs the land of Grahi, invited Mraten Sri Nano to create this statue. The weight of ''samrit'' is 1 ''bhara'' 2 ''tula'' and the value of gold is 10 ''tamlin''. This statue has been erected so that all the faithful can enjoy, venerate, and adore it here .... obtain the omniscience ..''
See also
*
Chaiya District in southern Thailand
*
Dharmasraya
Dharmasraya, is the capital of the 11th century Buddhist polity known as Melayu Kingdom, based on the Batanghari river system in modern-day West Sumatra and Jambi, on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia.J.L.A. Brandes, 1902, ''Nāgarakrětāgama; ...
kingdom
*
Mauli
Mauli was a dynasty of kings that ruled the '' Bhumi Malayu'' or Dharmasraya kingdom, centered in the Batanghari river system (today Jambi and West Sumatra provinces, Sumatra), from the 11th century to the 14th century.Muljana, Slamet, 2006, ''S ...
dynasty
*
Srivijaya
Srivijaya ( id, Sriwijaya) was a Buddhist thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia), which influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important centre for the expansion of Buddhism from the 7th t ...
kingdom
*
Tambralinga
Tambralinga ( sa, Tāmbraliṅga) was an Indianised kingdom located on the Malay Peninsula, existing at least from the 10th to 13th century. It was under the influence of Srivijaya for some time, but later became independent from it. The name ha ...
kingdom
References
{{reflist
Inscriptions of Thailand
Khmer language
Sumatran script