National Collection of Palm-Leaf Manuscripts of Phra That Phanom Chronicle

The manuscripts narrate the tale of the Buddha's breast bones brought from India for enshrinement at Phrathat Phanom, vibrantly recognized since antiquity until today as most sacred Buddhist centre in the Mekong region. The collection comprises 10 different versions. They are of different length, inscribed for different purposes by different personalities, at different time in history, covering different timespans. The manuscripts are representative of the countless diverse palm-leaf manuscripts depicting the same story, kept in varying conditions at multiple villages, towns, and temples in many parts of the Northeast of Thailand and in the Mid-Mekong region. Popularly copied and widely transmitted for merit-making, they are cherished as sacred Buddhist literature, forming a strong basis for the collective multi-generational memories about the coming of Buddhism into the Mekong Basins, amalgamating with local beliefs, and flourished over millennia.