Manuscript Cabinet (Wat Sung Men, 1835 AD)
Digitization of Lanna Manuscripts (2) – Trip to Phrae 12-18 December 2010
20 DECEMBER 10
This mission was organized by François Lagirarde assisted by Wisitthisak Sattaphan (Ta) and Phongsathorn Buakhampan (Puen).
It was completed around Phrae where the most important collections of Lanna manuscripts can be found. Manuscripts are particularly well kept in the monasteries of Sung Men, Mueang Mo and Song. Since we had, in the past, worked extensively at Wat Phra Luang (Sung Men), we spent more time at the more central Wat Sung Men (Sung Men, Phrae) and Wat Mueang Mo (Mueang Mo, Phrae). We also returned to Wat Klang (Song) as the superior of the monastery finally found the rare Tamnan Phraya Chueang, a chronicle in eleven bundles partially known from other copies today lost.
Wat Sung Men is the 38th monastery visited by the project. Its library was created in the early nineteenth century by Kruba Kanchana (born in 1789) and contains 15.000 bundles of manuscripts composed or copied on site or brought by the monks, especially from Laos. We have digitized, among other texts, a biography of Kanchana himself (Tamnan Tham Phra Mahathera Kanchana) and three bundles of original bibliographical datas whose existence has rarely been reported so far, all bearing unusual appellations (Sen Tham [Sen dham] or Tham Kio [thāṃ2 kiw]).
At Wat Mueang Mo (the 39th library in our project) we selected and digitized sixteen different manuscripts preserved in a traditional building. Access to this kind of building is quite difficult since the store room is in a second floor without stairs... one can only enter the "secret chamber" through a narrow opening in the floor. One of digitized titles is completely new (Tamnan Phraya Phitsanukam) while other texts appear under very original titles (like the Tamnan Lapphakappanakhara a chronicle about Lampang, or more probably, a chronicle of a religious site around Lampang).
In each monastery we offered a copy of the Buddha Tamnan a traditional chronicle that we have recently edited at the EFEO centre in Bangkok (the original of which comes precisely from the Wat Phra Luang Sung Men). This humble publication highlights the reasons and goals of our digitization campaigns to the local community of monks and lay people.
• list of the thirty-six bundles of digitized manuscripts:
38. WAT SUNG MEN (Sung Men, Phrae) 038 001 Tamnan Son Sakkarat , ตำนานสอนศักราช
038 002 Tamnan That Cho Phrae, ตำนานธาตุช่อแพร
038 003 Tamnan Mueang Kung Si Yothiya, ตำนานเมืองกรุงศรีโยธิยา
038 004 Tamnan Tham Phra Mahathera Kanchana, ตำนานธรรมพระมหาเถรกัญจนะ
038 005 Sen Tham Mueang Li (liste de manuscrits de Mueang Li), เส้นธรรมเมืองลี้
038 006 Tham Kio lae Chom Thong (liste de manuscrits de Chom Thong), ถ้ำกีวแลจอมทอง
038 007 Sen Tham (liste de manuscrits), เส้นธรรม
038 008 Tamnan Pa Mai Himaphan, ตำนานป่าไม้หิมพานต์
038 009 Tamnan Muthuta Thewaracha, ตำนานมุทุตาเทวราช
39. WAT MUEANG MO (Mueang Mo, Phrae)
039 001 Tamnan Mueang Phrae lae Tikasukkho, ตำนานเมืองแพร่ และ ฎิกาสุโข
039 002 Tamnan Wat Si Lom, ตำนานวัดศรีล้อม
039 003 Tamnan That Phu Chae, ตำนานธาตุพูแช่
039 004 Tamnan Laphun, ตำนานลำพูน
039 005 Tamnan Phraya Phitsanukam, ตำนานพระยาพิษณุกรรม
039 006 Tham Phra Phosop, ธรรมพระโภสบ
039 007 Tham Phra Phosop , ธรรมพระโภสบ
039 008 Tamnan Phra Chao Sip Ton, ตำนานพระเจ้าสิบตน
039 009 Mullakhanthi Si Chakkawattiwat , มูลคัณฐีศรีจักรวรรดิวัตร
039 010 Tamnan Phuen Mueang Kung Yothiya, ตำนานพื้นเมืองกรุงโยธิยา
039 011 Tamnan Nithan That Phranom, ตำนานนิทานธาตุพนม
039 012 Tamnan Phu Chae, ตำนานภูแช่
039 013 Tamnan That Yang Wit, ตำนานธาตุยางวิด
039 014 Tamnan Mueang Laphun, ตำนานเมืองลพูน
039 015 Tamnan Lapphakappanakhara , ตำนานลัพภกัปปนคร
039 016 Tamnan Phra Chao Sip Ton, ตำนานพระเจ้าสิบตน
04 [2]. WAT KLANG (Ban Klang, Song, Phrae) 004 007 [1-11] Tamnan Phraya Chueang (11 liasses), ตำนานพระยาเจือง
digitization manuscripts
It was completed around Phrae where the most important collections of Lanna manuscripts can be found. Manuscripts are particularly well kept in the monasteries of Sung Men, Mueang Mo and Song. Since we had, in the past, worked extensively at Wat Phra Luang (Sung Men), we spent more time at the more central Wat Sung Men (Sung Men, Phrae) and Wat Mueang Mo (Mueang Mo, Phrae). We also returned to Wat Klang (Song) as the superior of the monastery finally found the rare Tamnan Phraya Chueang, a chronicle in eleven bundles partially known from other copies today lost.
Wat Sung Men is the 38th monastery visited by the project. Its library was created in the early nineteenth century by Kruba Kanchana (born in 1789) and contains 15.000 bundles of manuscripts composed or copied on site or brought by the monks, especially from Laos. We have digitized, among other texts, a biography of Kanchana himself (Tamnan Tham Phra Mahathera Kanchana) and three bundles of original bibliographical datas whose existence has rarely been reported so far, all bearing unusual appellations (Sen Tham [Sen dham] or Tham Kio [thāṃ2 kiw]).
At Wat Mueang Mo (the 39th library in our project) we selected and digitized sixteen different manuscripts preserved in a traditional building. Access to this kind of building is quite difficult since the store room is in a second floor without stairs... one can only enter the "secret chamber" through a narrow opening in the floor. One of digitized titles is completely new (Tamnan Phraya Phitsanukam) while other texts appear under very original titles (like the Tamnan Lapphakappanakhara a chronicle about Lampang, or more probably, a chronicle of a religious site around Lampang).
In each monastery we offered a copy of the Buddha Tamnan a traditional chronicle that we have recently edited at the EFEO centre in Bangkok (the original of which comes precisely from the Wat Phra Luang Sung Men). This humble publication highlights the reasons and goals of our digitization campaigns to the local community of monks and lay people.
• list of the thirty-six bundles of digitized manuscripts:
38. WAT SUNG MEN (Sung Men, Phrae) 038 001 Tamnan Son Sakkarat , ตำนานสอนศักราช
038 002 Tamnan That Cho Phrae, ตำนานธาตุช่อแพร
038 003 Tamnan Mueang Kung Si Yothiya, ตำนานเมืองกรุงศรีโยธิยา
038 004 Tamnan Tham Phra Mahathera Kanchana, ตำนานธรรมพระมหาเถรกัญจนะ
038 005 Sen Tham Mueang Li (liste de manuscrits de Mueang Li), เส้นธรรมเมืองลี้
038 006 Tham Kio lae Chom Thong (liste de manuscrits de Chom Thong), ถ้ำกีวแลจอมทอง
038 007 Sen Tham (liste de manuscrits), เส้นธรรม
038 008 Tamnan Pa Mai Himaphan, ตำนานป่าไม้หิมพานต์
038 009 Tamnan Muthuta Thewaracha, ตำนานมุทุตาเทวราช
39. WAT MUEANG MO (Mueang Mo, Phrae)
039 001 Tamnan Mueang Phrae lae Tikasukkho, ตำนานเมืองแพร่ และ ฎิกาสุโข
039 002 Tamnan Wat Si Lom, ตำนานวัดศรีล้อม
039 003 Tamnan That Phu Chae, ตำนานธาตุพูแช่
039 004 Tamnan Laphun, ตำนานลำพูน
039 005 Tamnan Phraya Phitsanukam, ตำนานพระยาพิษณุกรรม
039 006 Tham Phra Phosop, ธรรมพระโภสบ
039 007 Tham Phra Phosop , ธรรมพระโภสบ
039 008 Tamnan Phra Chao Sip Ton, ตำนานพระเจ้าสิบตน
039 009 Mullakhanthi Si Chakkawattiwat , มูลคัณฐีศรีจักรวรรดิวัตร
039 010 Tamnan Phuen Mueang Kung Yothiya, ตำนานพื้นเมืองกรุงโยธิยา
039 011 Tamnan Nithan That Phranom, ตำนานนิทานธาตุพนม
039 012 Tamnan Phu Chae, ตำนานภูแช่
039 013 Tamnan That Yang Wit, ตำนานธาตุยางวิด
039 014 Tamnan Mueang Laphun, ตำนานเมืองลพูน
039 015 Tamnan Lapphakappanakhara , ตำนานลัพภกัปปนคร
039 016 Tamnan Phra Chao Sip Ton, ตำนานพระเจ้าสิบตน
04 [2]. WAT KLANG (Ban Klang, Song, Phrae) 004 007 [1-11] Tamnan Phraya Chueang (11 liasses), ตำนานพระยาเจือง
digitization manuscripts