U Pho Thi Library (Burmese: ဦးဘိုးသီးပိဋကတ်တိုက်), officially known as the Sādhu-janapāsādika Mahādhammacetī (lit. 'great temple of the Dhamma which pleases good people'), is a Buddhist library or pitakataik in Thaton, Mon State, Myanmar. The library houses a rare collection of 785 traditional manuscripts, including palm leaf manuscripts and parabaiks, in a three-storey building donated by U Pho Thi, who is the library's namesake.[1] Monastic examinations are held at the library, which part of Thaton's largest centre for Buddhist studies.[2]
| U Pho Thi Library | |
|---|---|
| ဦးဘိုးသီးပိဋကတ်တိုက် | |
 | |
| 16°55′24″N 97°22′37″E / 16.923302374017855°N 97.37694950628828°E | |
| Location | Thaton,  Myanmar |
| Type | Pitakataik |
| Established | 1923 |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | |
| Size | 785 manuscripts |
| Other information | |
| Affiliation | Sadhammajotika Monastery |
History edit
The library was the brainchild of Burmese literature professor Kyaw Tun, and was funded and established by merchant U Pho Thi in 1923, along with the Suvaṇṇabhūmi Pariyatti Sāsanahita Trust.[1][3]
In February 2013, the Pali Text Society, Sendai University, and the University of Toronto, along with local partners, began an ongoing initiative to digitise and catalogue Myanmar's palm-leaf manuscripts, including collections from this library, and Bagaya Monastery in Inwa.[2][4] The digitised manuscripts are now available at the open-access Myanmar Manuscript Digital Library.[5]
In 2019, the Pali Text Society published the Catalogue of Manuscripts in the U Pho Thi Library.
Collection edit
The manuscripts date from the mid-16th century to the 1920s.[1] Extremely rare manuscripts held by the library include Saddanītiṭīkā by Paññāsāmi, an advisor to King Mindon Min, Mukhamattasāra, Commentary on the Nāmacāradīpaka, by Chapaṭa Saddhammajotipāla from the Inwa era.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Ruiz-Falqués, Aleix (2022-05-06). "Pruitt, William / Ousaka, Yumi / Kasamatsu, Sunao: The Catalogue of Manuscripts in the U Pho Thi Library, Thaton, Myanmar. Bristol: The Pali Text Society 2019. XVI, 412 S. 8°. Hardbd. ISBN 978-0-86013-081-9". Orientalistische Literaturzeitung. 117 (1): 70–72. doi:10.1515/olzg-2022-0026. ISSN 2196-6877.
- ^ a b "Archives". Myanmar Manuscript Digital Library. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
- ^ Scott, Tony (2020-04-06). "New Open Access Database of Myanmar Manuscripts and Textual Artefacts at U of T". Asian Institute | Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
- ^ "The Project to Digitize". Myanmar Manuscript Digital Library. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
- ^ "U of T's Myanmar Digital Library of rare manuscripts and artefacts opens access to scholars worldwide". Faculty of Arts & Science. 2020-04-27. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
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