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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