[INDOLOGY] Gandhari Manuscript Project

Mark Allon mark.allon at sydney.edu.au
Tue Mar 14 13:26:43 UTC 2023


Dear List members,

With the support of the Khyentse Foundation, a large collection of Gandhari birch bark manuscripts was donated to the Islamabad Museum, Pakistan, on 26 December 2022. The conservation, photographing, study, and publication of these manuscripts by the Gandhari Manuscript Project (GMP) will be carried out under the terms of an agreement between the (Federal) Department of Archaeology and Museums (DOAM), Islamabad, Pakistan, and the University of Sydney, Australia, that was signed on 20 December 2022. Both the Australian High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan, and the Pakistan High Commission in Canberra, Australia, assisted its passage.
     Although the collection is yet to be fully conserved, a rough estimate is that it consists of at least 50 to 60 scrolls or scroll fragments, which constitutes the largest collection of Gandhari manuscripts known to date. These manuscripts are thought to have originated from northern Pakistan and to date to between the 1st century BCE and the 2nd century CE, although some manuscripts in the collection may well fall outside this range.
     The housing of these Gandhari manuscripts in Pakistan at the Islamabad Museum and their conservation there sets a precedent for the reversal of the common scenario whereby such materials are taken out of their region of origin as part of the antiquities trade, resulting in a significant loss of cultural heritage. In addition, this initiative will form the basis for collaboration with Pakistani scholars and for training Pakistani students in order to promote the conservation and study of such materials and the documentation of Pakistan's rich Buddhist heritage.
     A more comprehensive account of the texts in the collection, their date and their significance, and of the collection as a whole, will be possible once all scrolls and scroll fragments have been conserved and an initial survey has been undertaken.
     For further details on the collection and the Gandhari Manuscript Project, see https://gandhari-texts.sydney.edu.au/gandhari-manuscripts/.
     The Khyentse Foundation recently posted notification on their website<https://khyentsefoundation.org/kf-news-march-2023-2000-year-old-gandhari-buddhist-manuscripts-find-permanent-home-in-pakistan/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=KF%20News%20March%202023%20%20Gandhari%20Buddhist%20Manuscripts&utm_content=KF%20News%20March%202023%20%20Gandhari%20Buddhist%20Manuscripts+CID_b1460f51b596bd2acc684301aa05c4cf&utm_source=Email%20Marketing%20Platform&utm_term=READ%20THE%20ARTICLE%20ON%20OUR%20WEBSITE>.

Best wishes

Gandhari Manuscript Project Management Committee

Mark Allon, Stephanie Majcher, Ian McCrabb, Jason Neelis

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