Centre of Northern Lao Manuscript Culture: A catalogue of manuscripts from Vat Xiang Yün Saiya Settharam, Luang Prabang

This catalogue documents only the palm-leaf and paper manuscripts that have been digitized as part of the EAP1398 project. It is intended to serve as a research reference. With the exception of seven paper manuscripts, the manuscripts documented and described in the catalogue are all written on palm leaves. The vast majority of these palm-leaf manuscripts contain a single text running over one fascicle (phuk), although some contain multiple texts, and a few extend over ten or more fascicles. However, many of the multi-fascicle manuscripts are incomplete, with one or more fascicles missing. Some manuscripts comprised of a single fascicle may have originally been part of a larger multi-fascicle manuscript, with the remaining fascicles now lost. While some manuscripts are complete and in good physical condition, others are either lightly or severely damaged, with portions of the text missing. The manuscripts, both palm-leaf and paper, contain a variety of texts from several genres. Most of the texts are canonical Buddhist scriptures, homiletic texts known as anisong (Pali: ānisaṃsa), Jataka tales (stories of the Buddha’s previous existences), or other Buddhist literature. A number of secular texts also deserve attention, such as treatises on language and grammar, didactic literature, or astrological and medical treatises, as well as customary law texts.