Cham inscriptions and Cham manuscripts: A legacy of development
Cham inscriptions and Cham manuscripts: A legacy of developmentSpeaker: Mohamed Effendy bin Abdul Hamid
Date/Time: Sat 14 Apr 07, 2.30 - 4.30pm
Venue: National Library (Singapore), 100 Victoria Street, Possibility Room, Level 5The Vo Canh Stele is one of the earliest Sanskrit inscriptions found in Southeast Asia, in the vicinity of the kingdom of Champa, Vietnam. The inscription, dated to be from the fourth century, records the donation made by a King belonging to the family of Sri Mara. The significance of this inscription was that it was one of the earliest examples of the Pallava script being used in Southeast Asia by a Malay-like polity, Kerajaan Champa.This seminar will highlight the localization of Sanskrit by the Cham people by contrasting it to other Cham inscriptions and the writing found in the Cham manuscripts. This will highlight that although the Cham language and writing show significant borrowings from other cultures, it actually enhanced the development of the Cham language.
Admission is FREE and no registration is required.
About the Speaker:
Mohamed Effendy bin Abdul Hamid is a postgraduate student in the National University of Singapore, Southeast Asia Studies Programme. His interest in Champa’s history began in the year 2000 and has been awarded a research grant in 2005 by National University of Singapore’s Graduate research programme to conduct fieldwork research in Cham communities in Vietnam and Cambodia. Mohamed Effendy has also participated and attended in several international conferences and symposiums such as “New scholarship on Champa”, 5-6 August 2004. He co-presented a paper with Research Associate Mr Pritam Singh on “The Muslims of Indochina: Islam, Ethnicity and Religious Education” and a paper “Cham Manuscripts and the Possibility of a Second Champa Kingdom” at the 19th International Association of Historians of Asia (IAHA) 2006 in the Philippines.
Related Books:
- The Art of Champa by J. Hubert
Binh Dinh’s Cham towers proposed for world cultural heritage
Cham citadel unearthed in Vietnam
Kiln find raises new questions in Cham construction methods
Ancient pottery unearthed at My Son sanctuary
Public lecture: The Mỹ Sơn and Pô Nagar Nha Trang Sanctuaries
Tags: Cham culture, inscriptions, Kerajaan Champa, manuscripts, Mohamed Effendy bin Abdul Hamid, Pallava script, Sanskrit inscriptions, Sri Mara, Vietnam Archaeology, Vo Canh Stele
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June 7th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
u dont have pictures or images
June 8th, 2007 at 9:39 am
You might want to contact Mr Effendy for images.
September 11th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Dear Mr Effendy
Very much interested in your works. we are looking for some contacts for below article. do llet us know if you have any information on below
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/2004-02/28/Columns/Kaleidoscope.htm
Old leaves tell tales
It is estimated that the villages of Cham ethnic people in central Viet Nam are preserving around 60,000 ancient documents that remain mostly unknown to the world.
Most of these documents are written in Sanskrit on buong, the leaves of a type of palm tree that grows in central Viet Nam. Sanskrit is an ancient Hindu and classical literary language of India now lost to today’s Cham people.
However, one Cham teacher is determined to unlock his people’s secrets. Tinh has mastered Sanskrit to decipher the Mystery of the Leaves and as a teacher, has free access to the ancient documents considered by the Cham as something akin to a family heirloom.
Tinh has discovered the leaves contain a treasure of tales, legends, historic events, poems, songs and rituals. “They are handed down from generations to generations,” explains Tinh.
“People keep them with great care without knowing entirely their meaning. If some documents happened to decay, people will cast the dust into nature. That is why it is not easy to collect these buong leaf documents.”
The young buong leaf was first cut in equal lengths and then dried for one day under the sun. The Cham people used a sharp stick to write on them.
When they finished, they coated some unknown powder on the leaves to make the writings indelible. A buong leaf can hold four lines of Sanskrit.
Tinh has thousands of these ancient and mysterious Cham documents, some in their original condition, some copied by him.
He says, “It’s a great honour for me to shed some light into the Chams’ fabulous spiritual heritage.” — VNS
September 13th, 2007 at 6:30 am
Do you have contact information of this Cham teacher? Thanks.
Huong Nguyen
February 24th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Hi everyone.
My name is Nhuong Tu. A Cham who live in central Viet Nam. I am interested in the introduction of Islam into the kingdom of Champa. Does any one know a good source?
Thanks for your help.
Nhuong Tu
February 28th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Hi Nhong Tu,
for starters, you might want to read Anthony Reid’s Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce, which covers the spread of religions throughout Southeast Asia as a result of trade in from the 15th to 17th century. I remember reading about the spread of Islam to the Cham there.