The Buddhist palm-leaf manuscripts in the reign of King Kawila: A case study based on the colophons of the Lanna script manuscripts found at Wat Duang Dee, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai Province

Abstract

     The objective of this research is to present the information obtained from reading, transliterating, studying, and analyzing the colophons of eight bundles of the DhamLanna script manuscripts created during 1800-1815 in the reign of King Kawila. The study was conducted by surveying the Lanna script manuscripts in Chiang Mai, Thailand between 2017-2020. The manuscripts found at Duang Dee Temple in Mueang Chiang Mai District were used to analyze various perspectives of historical lineage oc-curring in King Kawila’s era.
     The research findings revealed four consistent patterns of information. Firstly, the period of inscription was the daytime when daylight was sufficient. Secondly, the names of significant locations associated with Dhamma-Vinaya studies and practice, such as Suan Dok Temple, were documented in the inscriptions. Thirdly, the names of contributors who participated in the manuscript’s creation were recorded. Scribes’ names and names of respectable people, mostly venerable monks with honorific titles who were project leaders, were explicitly mentioned. Lastly, the inscriptions conveyed the scribes’ aspirations for the manuscripts to be of benefit to Buddhism, to establish and perpetuate the teachings of the Buddha, to express their personal desire for spir-itual cultivation, and to pay respect to their masters. Furthermore, the scribes showed humility by acknowledging the unattractive nature of their handwriting.
      From the analysis of eight bundles of Lanna script manuscripts created in the reign of King Kawila (1774-1815) along with the four consistent patterns of information written in the colophons, it could be concluded that at the time, Chiang Mai was start-ing to stabilize from its development and the decline in wars. Additionally, the study revealed the collaborative process of palm-leaf manuscript creation, performed as a team with a high-ranking monk as the project leader. Buddhist monks and laymen were responsible for inscribing palm-leaf manuscripts and supporting the project. Fur-thermore, the research shed light on the essential purpose of palm-leaf manuscript creation, which was to accumulate merit in accordance to Lanna tradition. This factor significantly influenced the widespread adoption of palm-leaf manuscript creation with-in the general population, driven by their aspiration to attain positive outcomes in rela-tion to the concept of merit. However, the motivation of the ruling class was to create an image of a righteous king to gain public acceptance by appointing knowledgeable and respectful monks, establishing ecclesiastical rank, and assigning them to create palm-leaf manuscripts. So, on one hand, these were considered acts of merit by the king, while on the other hand, they may have been publicization of the king’s right-eous image through the promotion of Buddhism.