407-10, 425-428) but the gold and crystal reliquaries are a rarity. The inscription mentioned above from the Lemyethna hints that they were not unique to the Hsutaungpyi. It may be that previous finds were quickly re-enshrined as sacred objects. Should they have fallen into less pious hands, they might have been too tempting in terms of their portability and gold content to make it into the official record. - TAASA Review March 2011

407-10, 425-428) but the gold and crystal reliquaries are a rarity. The inscription mentioned above from the Lemyethna hints that they were not unique to the Hsutaungpyi. It may be that previous finds were quickly re-enshrined as sacred objects. Should they have fallen into less pious hands, they might have been too tempting in terms of their portability and gold content to make it into the official record. – TAASA Review March 2011

This article was originally found in the March 2011 edition of TAASA Review (Volume 20, Issue 1, Page 11).

The full article is available for free to TAASA Members.

The provenance of this group of artefacts is imperfect.

It is not clear whether there was one relic chamber, with the later materials added, or a separate chamber added some time after the 18th century.

To the monks who found the objects in the debris, these were all simply religious relics, of equal importance...