Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 18. (Budapest, 1999)
Tatjana KARDOS: Buddha Statuette with votive inscription from Laos
bles the number seven (R) best of all. There is a division sign standing for the missing word for "year" pi before the date. The first day of the sixth month could only have been the first day of June, otherwise it could not have been the fourth day of the waning moon at the same time. According to the traditional lunisolar calendar the month begins with the first day, or rather with the first night (door ök gâm non) of the new moon. So in accordance with the traditional Lao calendar the inscription formulated in the seventh month (which lasted from May 13 until June 12 that year), the fourth day after the full moon (May 28). 5 The faithful use the expression sädu in daily life in the sense of "so be it" after the prayer of the monks or after the ceremony is finished. (This expression is used in the same sense in one Thai inscription from the 14-15th century, see: Tongkamwan p. 250.). In our inscription this expression serves as a salutation, standing for the long Pali salutation formulas. As the sädu is usually duplicated (see:Gabaude p. 30) after the first sädu there is a number "2" in our inscription. 6 The inscription reads "the slave" (phu 2 khâ 2 ); this was the polite form of the first person singular used to address superiors, monks, and aged persons. The text reads mè aak which was the form of first person singular pronoun used by women when addresing to monks, literally "the woman who has left (the monastery)", in other words, "member of the laity". There is a diagonal dash standing for the concluding consonant "k" in the word aak, which is a form of abbreviation. s Despite the references we were unable to decide what is here in the inscription, whether kâ vâ dau ni or kà thä dau nï, as the letter written under the syllable ka is almost invisible. The translation of the first possible reading could be: "I tell so"; of the second: "I request so". We can find similar concluding sentences at the end of many texts. 'But here figured another letter with the pronunciation "th" which has to be transcribed with the letter "d". i0 We have the opportunity to do this as it is often hard to distinguish between i , Í and the ó (ui) in handwriting. The word thanad means "skilful, well trained, experienced; exact shooting, sharp mind, keen sight in other words some kind of practical ability. There is another possible reading of the second word as dïnï; the interpretation of the inscription "B" in this case could be: "experienced in this". "The number of inscriptions not including the request of the orderer is very small. One of these, a Jambupati sculpture (dated to the 16th century) had, according to the inscription, been requested in order to strengthen the Religion (see: Griswold 1961. p. 295.) The inscription of a crowned Buddha image (from 1541) takes provision for the installation and the maintenance of the statue (see: Diskul p. 410.) l2 Every full moon and new moon is a festival time (bun) in the life of the monasteries, when the faithful walk in procession around the sanctuary with candles, listening to sermons and giving alms. l3 The Lent period starts with great monastic festivals in the full moon of the eighth month (Bun khao pansa) and finishes with big feasts as well in the full moon of the eleventh month (Bun ok vatsa). l4 We do not know whether the carver was paid for the work. A monk or a lay-monk could regard this kind of work as a merit-making aid. We may assume that at the beginning of the century secular craftsmen were paid - in money or in kind - for this kind of work. l5 According to our experience, the faithful endeavour to embellish their objects of veneration everywhere in the world, not only in Laos. Fresh, bright colours were in favour among the people of Thai culture in former times as well (see the Thai collection of the State Hermitage Museum in: Deshpande pp. 10-16). The statues now covered with patina (beautiful for our modern taste) were at one time bright and colourful. The statues were guided not only to show reverence: the peculiar light reflected from the gold statue could demonstrate the supernatural power of the Buddha. Maybe the silver-like surface of
