Burmese Horoscope on Palm Leaf

Etched Palm Leaf Personal Birth Horoscope (Za-Da)

This finely inscribed manuscript is a personal horoscope made commissioned on behalf of an individual and based on the precise time of that person’s birth. It is of finely etched htan palm leaf. The content of the outer covers is visible only. The internal pages are between the covers but the horoscope has been sewn closed to protect the contents. There appears to be seven pages and covers in total.

The outer covers show a

ti-pati-daing, a five-tiered pillar with nine spaces for finely etched numbers which are used in making astrological forecasts (Fraser-Lu, 1994, p. 285). The other cover contains information in seven lines of Burmese script about the person’s precise time of birth which is important in making exact astrological predictions.

The

za-da would be kept by the individual throughout his life and would be consulted with the advice of an astrologer when making important life decisions. On the death of its owner, typically it would have been thrown into a flowing stream or river as part of the funeral arrangements (Fraser-Lu, 1994, p. 285).

A very similar birth horoscope for Sao Hkam Hip Hpa, a prince from Hsenwei, a Shan state in Eastern Burma, is illustrated in Conway (2006, p. 173). Another is illustrated in Fraser-Lu (1994, p. 285).

The horoscope has a fine patina consistent with considerable age. There is some minor nibbling to the edges but it is largely intact and in very good condition for its age and the material from which it is made. It is stable and robust.