Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Phra Damra

Other related names

• Bekker, Konrad, died 1981
• Bekker, Konrad, former owner
• Bekker, Sarah M, died 2013
• Bekker, Sarah M, former owner

Call number

Ms. Coll. 990 Item 13
(3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6206., University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 9963324013503681
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/900161224
• http://hdl.library.upenn.edu/1017/d/medren/6332401

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania

Language

In Thai

Summary

Illustrated manual on the creation of yantras, geometrical diagrams used as aids to meditation in tantric worship. Includes instructions on how to write the royal elephant yantra and add gold leaf to it. Title appears as Phra Dara on upper cover, written more clearly as Phra Damra inside the upper cover (f. 1r). The text and diagrams do not have a consistent orientation throughout the manuscript; folio references in this record start from the upper cover on both sides.

Notes

• Written in 6 (recto side) or 5 (verso side) lines per segment on text folios; text folios ruled in lead; yantras drawn in lead and traced over in ink.
   
• Written in Thailand in the 1920s or 1930s (Justin McDaniel).
   
• Written in ink with later notes in pencil by multiple hands (f. 1r, 10r, 12r-13r, 26r, 39r, 1v, 24v, 39v).
   
• Khoi paper; folded concertina- or accordion-style, including covers.
   
• Worn covers, now mostly lacking their borders of heavy paper.
   
• 55 illustrated folios with diagrams (f. 4r-9r, 11r, 13r, 16r-35r, 37r-39r, 9v, 20v-38v), many of which have central drawings of animals, and line drawings of deities, monsters and an elephant (f. 2r-3r, 10r, 36r). A few illustrations have color added (f. 3r, 9r-10r). One large group of diagrams is enclosed by a border extending over multiple folios (f. 17r-26r).
   

Extent

1 item (78 folios) : 11.4 x 35.8 cm

Support

Paper

Provenance

• Sold to Konrad and Sarah M. Bekker in the 1950s or 1960s; Konrad Bekker worked for the State Department in Asia and Sarah Bekker was an art historian.
   
• Sold from the estate of Konrad and Sarah M. Bekker at auction at Sloans & Kenyon, 14-16 June 2013, part of lot 467.
   

Subjects topical

• Yantras
• Tantrism

Genres

• Folded books
• Diagrams
• Drawings (visual works)
• Manuals (instructional materials)
• Manuscripts, Thai--20th century
• Manuscripts--Thailand--20th century
• Manuscripts, Digital

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Ms. Coll. 990 Item 13: Phra Damra are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

• Text

  Metadata is © and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Table of contents

• Upper Cover — Title, Upper Cover
• fol. 1r — List, f.1r
• fol. 12r — Notes, f.12r
• fol. 14r — Khatha in khom and Thai script, f.14r
• fol. 1v — Notes, pencil, f. 1v
• fol. 2v — Khom script, f. 2v
• fol. 4v — Thai script, explaining the Khom, f. 4v
• fol. 8v — Marginalia, f. 8v
• fol. 10v — Pali text with Thai explanation, f. 10v
• fol. 12v — Khatha in Khom and Thai script, f. 12v
• fol. 28v — Text in opposite direction, f. 28v
• fol. 39v — Notes in pencil (upside-down), f.39v

Decorations

• fol. 2r — Illustration, Rishis, f.2r
• fol. 3r — Illustrations, Four figures on pedestals, f.3r
• fol. 4r — Diagram, Yantra with rat, f.4r
• fol. 5r — Diagram, Yantra with rat, f.5r
• fol. 6r — Diagram, Yantra with Singha, f.6r
• fol. 7r — Diagram, Yantra with Singha, f.7r
• fol. 8r — Diagram, Yantra with Singha, f.8r
• fol. 9r — Illustration, Rat, colored, f.9r
• fol. 10r — Illustration, Hanuman, colored, f.10r
• fol. 11r — Diagram, Yantra, deity on birds, f.11r
• fol. 13r — Illustration, Small diagrams on elephant, f.13r
• fol. 14r — Illustration, Ducks in pencil, f.14r
• fol. 16r — Diagram, Yantra, f. 16r
• fol. 17r — Diagram, Beginning of multifolio yantra, f.17r
• fol. 18r — Diagram, Partial yantra, f. 18r
• fol. 19r — Diagram, Partial yantra, f. 19r
• fol. 20r — Diagram, Partial yantra, f. 20r
• fol. 21r — Diagram, Partial yantra, with image of two Nagas, f.21r
• fol. 22r — Diagram, Partial yantra with image of three Garudas, f.22r
• fol. 23r — Diagram, Partial yantra, f. 23r
• fol. 24r — Diagram, Partial yantra, f. 24r
• fol. 25r — Diagram, Partial yantra, f. 25r
• fol. 26r — Diagram, End of multifolio yantra, f.26r
• fol. 17-26r — Diagram, Complete multifolio yantra, f. 17-26r
• fol. 27r — Diagram, Square yantra, f.27r
• fol. 28r — Diagram, Square yantra, f.28r
• fol. 29r — Diagram, Square yantra, f.29r
• fol. 30r — Diagram, Pyramid yantra, f.30r
• fol. 31r — Diagram, Pyramid yantra, f.31r
• fol. 32r — Diagram, Square yantra, f.32r
• fol. 33r — Diagram, Square yantra, f.33r
• fol. 34r — Diagram, Square yantra, with Buddha image, f.34r
• fol. 35r — Diagrams, Smaller yantra, multiple diagrams, f.35r
• fol. 36r — Illustration, Elephant, colored (upside-down), f.36r
• fol. 37r — Diagram, Triangular yantras, f.37r
• fol. 38r — Diagram, Yantra, f. 38r
• fol. 39r — Diagrams, Yantra, female and bird, pencil (upside-down), f. 39r
• fol. 9v — Diagrams, f. 9v
• fol. 20v — Diagrams, Yantras, bird image, f. 20v
• fol. 21v — Diagrams, Yantras, f. 21v
• fol. 22v — Diagram, Octagonal yantra, f. 22v
• fol. 23v — Diagrams, f.23 v
• fol. 24v — Diagrams, f. 24v
• fol. 25v — Diagram, Circular yantra, f. 25v
• fol. 26v — Diagrams, Circular yantras, f. 26v
• fol. 27v — Diagram, Circular yantra, Buddha foot image, f. 27v
• fol. 28v — Diagrams, f. 28v
• fol. 29v — Diagrams, f. 29v
• fol. 30v — Diagrams, f. 30v
• fol. 31v — Diagrams, f. 31v
• fol. 32v — Diagrams, f. 32v
• fol. 33v — Diagrams, f. 33v
• fol. 34v — Diagram, Square yantra, f. 34v
• fol. 35v — Diagram, Square yantra, Hanuman (?), f. 35v
• fol. 36v — Diagram, Square yantra, f. 36v
• fol. 37v — Diagram, Square yantra, f. 37v
• fol. 38v — Diagrams, Yantras, f. 38v