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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER 1898.
Plate XIX. shews the approach to the D'ammaba Cave on the Jain River. This plate exhibits all the peouliarities above mentioned. It shews the very fine situation of the village of D'ammaba, the small gilt pagoda on the summit of the hill overlooking the river, and the monastic buildings around it. The hill in the distance is that in which the great cave is situated and on its difficult summit are situated no less than three small pagodas.
The Original Photographs. I desire to record fully the origin of the Plates, which bas only been partially noted on the Plates themselves.
Mr. P. Klier of Rangoon took Plates I., VI., VII., XVII, XVIII., and XIX. Mr. F. O. Oertel took Plates Ia, III., IV., V., VIII. Fig. 1, during the journey herein described. The late Mr. B. Romanis took Plate II, many years ago. Mesars. Watts and Skeen of Rangoon took Plates VIII. Fig. 2, XV. Fig. 1, and at my special request Plates IX., X., XI., XII., XIII., XIII, XIV., XIVa, XV. Fig. 2, XVI., XVIa. Mr. W. Robinson of the Oxford Museum took Plate IXa, also at my special request.
12. - Additional Notes.
The Sculptures from Thatón. There is a passage in Anderson's Mandalay to Momien, p. 216, which is extremely valuable for the purposes of the present discussions, for it seems to settle the Northern Buddhistic nature of the remains from Thaton. "In the khyoung [monastery] which formed our residence Cat Momien), there was a figure of Puang-ku (i. e., Pan Ku] the Creator, seated on a bed of leaves resembling those of the sacred padma or lotus. This remarkable four-armed figure .was lifesize and naked, save for garlands of leaves round the neck and loins. He was seated cross-legged like Buddha, the two appermost arme stretched oat, forming each & rightangle. The right hand held a white disc and the left a red one. The two lower arms were in the attitude of carving, the right hand holding a mallet and the left a chisel."
Compare this description with Plate XIII., and there can be little donbt that the two representations are meant for the same mythological personage. As to Pan Ku, I gather from Mayer's Ohineas Reader's Handbook, pp. 173 (under Pan Ku), 201 (under Sze-ma Ts'ion), and 376 (Sung Dynasty), that this primordial being of the Chinese was unknown in 85 B. C., and is not heard of before 420 A. D. Now, according to Eitel, Buddhism, p. 22ff., Buddhietic images and ideas first became popularized in China between 62 and 75 A. D, under the Emperor Ming Ti of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and at once became allied with Tanism, which had at that time already descended to the level of the indigenous and popular aminism. Further, Pan Ku would also appear to be the counterpart, representative, or successor in art and sculpture, as well as in association, of the Buddhist Dharma as conceived by the Northern sohools.
In this connection, I may as well note here, as a proof of the survival of Tantrik notions among the modern Barmere, that I have been for some time collecting all the vernacular literature I can lay hands on about the "Thirty-seven Nåts," or chief spirits. I have amongst other documents four complete sets of drawings of the Thirty-seven Nats. The drawings do not agree in numbering or nomenclature, but they all agree in giving two of the Nate four to six arms each.
I have already had occasion to remark that it is easy to mix up Buddhist and Hinda soulpture, and to mistake the former for the latter. Writing, as I now am, in the bope of
From information procured since the pages of this article were not up. See slao Wesl, Buddhist Recorda, Vol. i. p..
Seo Eital, Op. cit., pp. 91-988. • 11 The stories of the Nata 11 purport to be historical and to state who they were in life. They seem to appronoh very closely to the "mainta" of the Indian Musalmane, to the Bhotos of Borthern India, and in some respects to the onnonised saints of Europe. Bowring show, Siam, L 291, that something very like Ndt-worship is common in Siam.
