Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 24. (Budapest, 2006)

Béla KELÉNYI: Two Trunks from London. Hungarian aspects of the 'discovery' of Nepalese art

same time, it was usual for the person who ordered the work of art and who conducted the ceremony to intend to secure merit not only for himself, but also for those around him. As is evident in the inscriptions on the two Manjughosa figures and on the plinth of the Vasudhärä image, this is particularly true for one of the major sarhskâras, namely, the funeral ceremony, when the ritual was carried out on behalf of the deceased person. Certain inscriptions indicate the social status (trade and/or caste) as well as the place of residence of the customer. The former is exemplified by the expression säkyabhiksu in the two Manjughosa-texts and, most probably, the words tämvakära (tâmrakâra?) and tolada (tulâdhara?) on the plinth of the Vasudhärä image. It is essential that while the customers' names are indicated in most cases, the persons who produced the statues are rarely mentioned." C. Auspicious formula As an indication of the Newar masters' belief in auspicious and inauspicious omens, almost all inscriptions conclude with a fortune prayer, most often with the expression 'Let it be auspicious' (New.: juro subham), or with its Sanskrit equivalent (subhamastu) or abbreviation (subham). II. LANGUAGE AND WAY OF WRITING Each translated text is in Newari and is written in nepäläksara characters, a system of writing used in most Newari inscriptions. The nepäläksara script is related to, among others, the devanâgarî script, i.e. the writing system used for recording Sanskrit texts; however, especially as far as ligatures are concerned, the two differ widely. It is particularly difficult to make out ligatures in the case of one the Manjughosa statues (Inscription 2, 111. 4), where the small surface is not always sufficient for a precise representation of a complicated (set of) letter(s). III. TRANSCRIPTION, NOTATIONS When transcribing the inscriptions presented below, I used the diacritical transcription applied for devanâgarî writing. I indicated indecipherable letters and sets of letters with Xs. As for problematic parts that were hardly interprétable or not interprétable at all, I used italics; three dots indicated fragmented parts. Question marks stand for parts whose reading or translation was uncertain. The proper names and the names of months, which often occur in ungrammatical forms, were indicated accurately in the transcription but in an improved form in the translation. Inscriptions of the statuettes No. I

. Mahä-Vairocana (III. 3) Transcription Sarhvat 928 miti vaisäsa sudi 15 sa asamvä hâlayâ säkyabhiksu gunäkrala bhäjünala si m bhirh tyo thva o sva kma senam svapitä x nakrala divarhgata jüyä svamätä sajiva candralaksmi nihma sayä nämana thva suba x o yäsah sakti Mahä-Berocana pratimä dayakä o pratisthä yähä juro subham Translation On the 15* [day] of the bright half of Vaisâkha [month], in the year 928 a Sakti and Mahä-Vairocana statue was made and installed by säkyabhiksu Gunäkrala [and?] Bhäjünala in the name of their deceased father, ?nakrala and their living mother, Candralaksmi. Let it be auspicious. Notes The year is equivalent to 1808 A. D. Owing to changes that have taken place in Newar society, the word säkyabhiksu does not now denote a Buddhist monk but simply a person belonging to the säkya caste." No. 2. Mahä-Aksobhya (III. 4) Transcription Subha Samvat 942 mti pausa sudi 11 sa o bädära i u tä cheyä säkyabhiksu svapitä rämaju divam gata juyä o svaputra bhäju dharhyi ki dhlbhikhäm räma narasirh thvate bho x sena thva suba x yä Mahä-Aksobhya pratimä svamätä viksmadhanïya nämana mahämämaki devi x riî saktï pras x ti dayakä o pratisthä yähä juro subham Translation Auspicious. On the 1 l

lh [day] of the bright half of Pausa [month] ... from the house of Bädära i u tä (?) made and installed a Mahämämaki devï sakti statue in the name of his mother, Viksmadham, and a Mahä-Aksobhya statue for his deceased father, säkyabhiksu Rämaju (?) and his son (?) Bhäju (?) (...) Let it be auspicious. Notes The date is equivalent to 1821 A. D. The word iulä with bädära presumably refers to a settlement, a supposition reinforced by the succeeding word che ('house'). The inscription contains parts difficult to read and interpret; therefore, the translation requires further work.