Myazedi inscription

The Myazedi inscription is a twelfth-century stone inscription from Pagan, Myanmar, with parallel texts in Burmese, Mon, Pyu, and Pali. Its versions preserve an account of a prince’s donation and provide key evidence for the Pyu language.

Pyu language: An extinct language of the Pyu city-states in what is now central Myanmar, known chiefly from inscriptions. The inscription’s Pyu text is among the most substantial surviving evidence for this language.
Pyu epigraphy: The study of inscriptions written in the Pyu language and script. The stone’s Pyu passage anchors interpretation of this small epigraphic record.
Prince Yazakumar: A Pagan prince associated with the donation commemorated in the Myazedi inscription. The inscription’s narrative centers on his gift and its religious context.
Pyu language decipherment: The scholarly interpretation of Pyu texts through their scripts, linguistic comparisons, and historical contexts. The inscription’s parallel texts offered unusually strong clues for reading Pyu.
Old Burmese: The earliest recorded stage of the Burmese language, represented by inscriptions from the Pagan period onward. The Burmese version offers an early landmark in the written history of Burmese.
Historical linguistics: The study of how languages change over time and how their histories are related. Its parallel versions enable comparisons among language histories in medieval Myanmar.
King Kyanzittha: A ruler of the Pagan Kingdom who reigned from 1084 to 1112. The inscription is commonly dated to the period of Kyanzittha’s reign.
Epigraphy: The study of inscriptions engraved on durable materials such as stone and metal. The inscription exemplifies how engraved texts preserve otherwise lost linguistic evidence.
Mon language: A Mon-Khmer language spoken by Mon communities in mainland Southeast Asia. Its parallel Mon text places the inscription within a multilingual literary region.
Pyu city-states: Urban polities in central Myanmar associated with the Pyu people and flourishing in the first millennium CE. The inscription preserves a language linked to these earlier urban cultures.

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