Two-Thousand-Year-Old Indian Gold Rings Found in Thailand

Thailand’s Fine Arts Department 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 ancient Brahmi script, and the other ring is plain.

Don Yai Thong archaeological site

Don Yai Thong 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 at the site are continuing, and the work is linked to human skeletal remains found with the rings.

Brahmi inscription and language context

The inscription on the ring reads “pusarakhitasa”, which is translated as “the one protected by Pushya”. Brahmi is one of the earliest writing systems used in the Indian subcontinent, and it is associated with inscriptions from the Mauryan and post-Mauryan periods. Pushya is an auspicious nakshatra, or lunar mansion, in Indian astronomy.

Archaeological and historical context

The rings were found with skeletal remains, and the burial context places them in the Iron Age period of mainland South-East Asia. Similar Brahmi-inscribed artefacts have earlier been found in Thailand in Krabi and Chumphon provinces. Such finds are linked to early maritime contact between India and South-East Asia.

Important Facts for Exams

• Brahmi script is an ancient Indian script used for some of the earliest inscriptions in South Asia.
• Pushya is one of the 27 nakshatras in Indian astronomy.
• Iron Age archaeology in South-East Asia includes burial sites, bronze objects, and imported artefacts.
• Phra Nakhon Khiri Museum is located in Ratchaburi province in Thailand.

Preservation and study

The rings have been transferred to the Phra Nakhon Khiri Museum in Ratchaburi province for preservation and further study. Archaeologists are accelerating excavation because groundwater and heavy rainfall can damage artefacts and human remains at the site.