Vol. Ill, No. 7.] Notes on Glay Tablets. 465 



IN.S.'] 



(6) Or that these seals or their moulds were carried by Bud- 

 dhist pilgrims from India as souvenirs or relies. Dr. Annandale's 

 remarks on the mysterious Prams, and their sacred books in a 

 Sanskritic language lead me to believe the first to be the most 

 probable cause. 



(3) As will be shown later on, the deities represented on these 

 seals belong to the Mahayana School. It is of interest to note 

 that while the Buddhism prevalent in Burma is of the Hinayana 

 School, the relics of Malay- Asia are those of theMahayana School. 

 The researches of Messieurs Barth, Senart and Kern have proved 

 that Cambodia and Java received its Buddhism from Northern 

 India, and now it seems that Malay also received its religion from 

 Northern India. It may be noted in this connection that all in- 

 scriptions hitherto discovered in the Malay Peninsula ai-e in cha- 

 arcters which belong to the southern variety of Indian characters, 

 while those on these seals belong to the western variety of North- 

 em Indian Nagari of the 11th century A.D., so even among Far- 

 eastern antiquities they occupy an unique position. 



Out of these five seals the largest is in a state of imperfect pre* 

 servation (see plate). Fortunately duplicates of these are preserved 

 in the Oxford University Museum and have been published by 

 Messrs. Steffen and Annandale.^ This seal measures 4| inches by 

 3f inches and is oval in shape. It bears a ]arge impression on the 

 obverse and five small impressions on the reverse. The impression 

 on the obverse is pear-shaped and represents a Buddha seated on 

 a lotus throne inside a shrine in the centre. Similar shrines are 

 to be found on the sides of the votive stnpa from Magadha-* 

 Such shrines have also been found on seals from Bodh-Gaya, and 

 some well-preserved specimens are in the Indian Museum.** The 

 hands of the Buddha inside this shrine are in the Dharviacakra 

 Mudro, or in the attitude of teaching or delivering a sermon. The 

 shrine itself is supported by a larger lotus. On each side of the 

 shrine there is a small votive stupa. Below the lotus, which 

 supports the shrine, there is an inscription in four or five irregular 

 lines in the Nagari of the 11th century A.D, It consists simply of 

 the Buddhist votive formula " Ye Dharma, etc." Surrounding 

 this central shrine there are eight other figures each seated on a 

 lotus and with a halo around their heads indicating their divine 

 nature. It is to be observed that the human figures on this seal 

 are arranged along thx^ee vertical lines, having three figures to 

 each line. The figures in the central line are sitting cross-legged 

 (Vajraparyanka Ntsannah) while those in the first and third line 

 are squatting on their haunches, I fully believe that these 



A Man, 1902, No, 125, p. ITSj pi. M. Dr. Annandale obtained some seals 

 for the Oxford University Museum from Mr. Steffen, oat of which these five 

 duplicates were retarned to liim. 



2 Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of India, 1903-4, p. 220, 

 Fig. 2. 



3 Anderson's Catalogue, Part II, pp. 60-61. Cunningham's Mahabodhi, 

 p. 51, pi. xxiv. 



