U Pho Thi Library
{{short description|Buddhist library in Thaton, Myanmar}}
{{Infobox library
| name = U Pho Thi Library
| native_name = {{lang|my|ဦးဘိုးသီးပိဋကတ်တိုက်}}
| native_name_lang = my
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| country = Myanmar
| type = Pitakataik
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| established = {{Start date and years ago|1923}}
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| location = Thaton
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| coordinates = {{Coord|16.923302374017855|97.37694950628828|display=inline,title}}
| location_map = Myanmar
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| items_collected = {{hlist|Parabaiks|palm-leaf manuscripts}}
| collection_size = 785 manuscripts
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| affiliation = Sadhammajotika Monastery
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U Pho Thi Library ({{Langx|my|ဦးဘိုးသီးပိဋကတ်တိုက်}}), officially known as the {{IAST|Sādhu-janapāsādika Mahādhammacetī}} ({{Lit|great temple of the Dhamma which pleases good people}}), is a Buddhist library or pitakataik in Thaton, Mon State, Myanmar. The library houses a rare collection of 785 traditional manuscripts, including palm leaf manuscripts and parabaiks, in a three-storey building donated by U Pho Thi, who is the library's namesake.{{Cite journal |last=Ruiz-Falqués |first=Aleix |date=2022-05-06 |title=Pruitt, William / Ousaka, Yumi / Kasamatsu, Sunao: The Catalogue of Manuscripts in the U Pho Thi Library, Thaton, Myanmar. Bristol: The Pali Text Society 2019. XVI, 412 S. 8°. Hardbd. ISBN 978-0-86013-081-9. |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/olzg-2022-0026/html |journal=Orientalistische Literaturzeitung |language=en |volume=117 |issue=1 |pages=70–72 |doi=10.1515/olzg-2022-0026 |issn=2196-6877|url-access=subscription }} Monastic examinations are held at the library, which part of Thaton's largest centre for Buddhist studies.{{Cite web |title=Archives |url=https://mmdl.utoronto.ca/about/archives/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=Myanmar Manuscript Digital Library}}
History
The library was the brainchild of Burmese literature professor Kyaw Tun, and was funded and established by merchant U Pho Thi in 1923, along with the Suvaṇṇabhūmi Pariyatti Sāsanahita Trust.{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Tony |date=2020-04-06 |title=New Open Access Database of Myanmar Manuscripts and Textual Artefacts at U of T |url=https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/ai/news/new-open-access-database-myanmar-manuscripts-and-textual-artefacts-u-t |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=Asian Institute {{!}} Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy |language=en}}
In February 2013, the Pali Text Society, Sendai University, and the University of Toronto, along with local partners, began an ongoing initiative to digitise and catalogue Myanmar's palm-leaf manuscripts, including collections from this library, and Bagaya Monastery in Inwa.{{Cite web |title=The Project to Digitize |url=https://mmdl.utoronto.ca/about/the-project-to-digitize/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=Myanmar Manuscript Digital Library}} The digitised manuscripts are now available at the open-access Myanmar Manuscript Digital Library.{{Cite web |date=2020-04-27 |title=U of T's Myanmar Digital Library of rare manuscripts and artefacts opens access to scholars worldwide |url=https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/news/u-ts-myanmar-digital-library-rare-manuscripts-and-artefacts-opens-access-scholars-worldwide |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=Faculty of Arts & Science |language=en}}
In 2019, the Pali Text Society published the Catalogue of Manuscripts in the U Pho Thi Library.
Collection
The manuscripts date from the mid-16th century to the 1920s. Extremely rare manuscripts held by the library include Saddanītiṭīkā by Paññāsāmi, an advisor to King Mindon Min, Mukhamattasāra, Commentary on the Nāmacāradīpaka, by Chapaṭa Saddhammajotipāla from the Inwa era.
References
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Category:Buildings and structures in Mon State
Category:Libraries established in 1923
Category:1923 establishments in Burma
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