January 26, 2014

ཏི་ར་ཧི་ཏ།

The dGe chos gsung ’bum (vol. 1, p. 186) refers to a place in India called Tirahita but it does not seem to be known outside Tibetan sources.

5 comments:

  1. I think it's most likely Tirhut.area in northern Bihar, neighboring eastern Nepal.

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  2. Thanks Dan, but actually I am interested more in it as a lexeme and if the name is attested in any Sanskrit source. So what would be the Sanskrit name?

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    1. OK, D., There are epigraphical sources for the name Tirabhukti, of which Tirhut is a much-reduced form, resulting from at least a month of fasting. The works of Sircar are the place to look. I'd look there, but I have to get biking. Have a great day! —D

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    2. Thanks Dan! OK, at least the name “Tīrabhukti” is recorded in MW (s.v.) and explained as “m. Tirhut (province in the east of central Hindustan) L.”

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  3. Gendun Choephel in his White Annals (Depther Karpo, 1946) pointed out that Tirahita is a common name for all the places north of the river Ganga to the Black mountain range and he also stated that the name of the place has remained unchanged.

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