Paṭhamasambodhikathā, Dhammarakkhita Version (B.E. 1908): Paleography and Comparative Dating

Abstract

Paṭhamasambodhikathā No. ชม.บ.667/2, currently preserved at the Ratchamangklaphisek National Library of Chiang Mai (NL-CNX) dated 1908 B.E. (1365 CE). The manuscript identifies an individual named Dhammarakkhita. Based on its recorded date, this manuscript constitutes the oldest empirical evidence of the Dhamma Lanna script. This finding challenges the long-held status of the Golden Plate Inscription of Mahāthera Cuḍāmuṇi (1919 B.E.), discovered at Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai Province, as the earliest example of the script.
However, there is a discrepancy regarding the manuscript’s date. The original date was 1908 B.E., but it was subsequently altered to 2020 B.E. Consequently, this research paper analyzes the paleography and orthography, specifically the writing style and letterforms, by examining this manuscript alongside other contemporary inscriptions and manuscripts from the 20^th and 21^st centuries B.E. The findings indicate that the script and writing style align with the early 20^th to 21^st centuries B.E., rather than the later date of 2020 B.E. This suggests that the manuscript was most likely written in 1908 B.E.