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Sungai Mas Stele

ca. 6th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This stele, inscribed with Buddhist verses and a depiction of a stupa, is critical to understanding the early transmission of Buddhism to Southeast Asia. It depicts a south Indian early medieval stupa type, consistent in date with the southern Brahmi cursive inscription. A related stele dedicated by a sea captain named Mahanavika Buddhagupta was discovered by Captain James Low, of the East India Company, in 1834. Two additional inscriptions with Buddhist content were found at Sungai Mas, one on a boulder in a riverbed. They constitute the earliest epigraphic evidence of Buddhism in the region and corroborate the participation of Buddhist merchants in the region’s long-distance sea trade.

cat. no. 19

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Sungai Mas Stele
  • Date: ca. 6th century
  • Culture: Malaysia
  • Medium: Shale
  • Dimensions: H. 16 1/8 in. (41 cm); W. 9 13/16 in. (25 cm); D. 1 15/16 in. (5 cm); Wt. 26 lbs (11.8 kg)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Lent by Muzium Arkeologi Lembah Bujang, Merbok, Malaysia
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art