A 2,000-Year-Old India Link: Brahmi-Inscribed Ancient Indian Gold Rings Found in Thailand
Thailand has unearthed two roughly 2,000-year-old Indian gold rings, one carrying an inscription in the ancient Brahmi script — a discovery that testifies to the early maritime and cultural contacts between ancient India and South-East Asia.
Thailand’s Fine Arts Department has announced the discovery of two Indian gold rings, each about 2,000 years old, at the Don Yai Thong archaeological site in Phetchaburi province in western Thailand. One ring carries an inscription in the ancient Brahmi script, while the other is plain. The find is considered highly significant for the study of early contacts between India and South-East Asia.
The Don Yai Thong site is located about 130 kilometres south-west of Bangkok. The site was identified in 2026 after local residents found fragments of ancient bronze drums in a rice field. Excavations are continuing and are linked to human skeletal remains found alongside the rings, placing them in the Iron Age period of mainland South-East Asia.
The inscription on the ring reads “pusarakhitasa”, translated as “the one protected by Pushya”. Brahmi is one of the earliest writing systems of the Indian subcontinent, associated with inscriptions from the Mauryan and post-Mauryan periods, while Pushya is an auspicious nakshatra, or lunar mansion, in Indian astronomy. Similar Brahmi-inscribed artefacts have earlier been found in Thailand’s Krabi and Chumphon provinces, pointing to early maritime contact between India and South-East Asia.
The rings have been transferred to the Phra Nakhon Khiri Museum in Ratchaburi province for preservation and further study. For exams, this topic connects to the idea of ‘Greater India’, the trade routes of the Indian Ocean and the spread of Indian culture — including language, script, religion and architecture — across South-East Asia.
Key Points
- Two roughly 2,000-year-old Indian gold rings were found in Thailand.
- One ring bears a Brahmi inscription “pusarakhitasa” (protected by Pushya).
- Discovered at Don Yai Thong (Phetchaburi province); announced by the Fine Arts Department.
- Rings found with human skeletal remains, dated to the Iron Age.
- Transferred to the Phra Nakhon Khiri Museum for preservation.
📝 Important from Exam Point of View (Exam Focus)
- Brahmi is one of the earliest writing systems of the Indian subcontinent; Ashoka’s edicts are mostly in Brahmi.
- The Brahmi script was first deciphered by James Prinsep in 1837.
- Pushya is a nakshatra (lunar mansion) in Indian astronomy.
- Early India–South-East Asia contacts relate to the concept of ‘Greater India’.
