Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 13

Thailand Archaeologists Unearth 2 Gold Rings, One Bearing a 2,000-Year-Old Brahmi Blessing

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 13

Thailand Archaeologists Unearth 2 Gold Rings, One Bearing a 2,000-Year-Old Brahmi Blessing

Q: An ancient Indian blessing was found on a gold ring in Thailand. Who was being protected?

The inscription appears to refer to the ring’s owner as “the one protected by Pushya.” Experts read the Brahmi-script text as “pusarakhitasa,” which they interpret as a protective blessing invoking Pushya, an auspicious lunar constellation in ancient Indian astronomy. In that sense, the person being protected was most likely the wearer or owner of the ring. Because the ring was found in a burial with human remains and high-status grave goods, archaeologists believe its owner was probably a wealthy or high-ranking individual, possibly a merchant linked to the Vaishya class. Some scholars have also noted an alternative reading: that the inscription could mean “belonging to Pusarakhita,” suggesting it may name a specific person rather than only describe divine protection. So, based on the main expert interpretation, the blessing was protecting the individual who wore or owned the ring.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 13

Two gold rings found in a 2,000-year-old burial at Don Yai Thong in western Thailand included one engraved in ancient Brahmi script with a phrase experts read as “pusarakhitasa.”
The inscription is interpreted as “the one protected by Pushya,” linking the ring to an ancient Indian lunar constellation associated with luck and protection.
The rings were buried with human bones at a site identified only recently after residents found bronze-drum fragments in a rice field, triggering the excavation.
Eight human skeletons, bronze and gold jewelry, pottery and other grave goods have also emerged, suggesting upper-class burials and possible ties to merchant networks.
Officials said digging should finish in July, with the finds expected to go on public display as researchers study life in the region 2,000 years ago.