THE METAMORPHOSIS OF SACRED SPACE AND REGIONAL LEGITIMACY AT THE SIHANADA STUPA( HIRR-2026-0011)

This institutional research monograph presents a systematic, cross-disciplinary synthesis of the trans-regional transmission, material preservation, and epigraphic documentation of tradition-associated Buddha tooth relics across early Asian geopolitical domains. Moving beyond the conventional dichotomy that treats historical chronicles and empirical archaeology as mutually exclusive categories, this study establishes an advanced paradigm of mutual complementarity under the Integrated Relic Custodianship Model (IRCM). The primary research focus addresses the structural variance between early canonical Theravāda texts—which limit the primary somatic tooth remains to four canine units (dāṭhā)—and over two centuries of systematic archaeological excavations that have uncovered a multiplicity of contextually sealed specimens across ancient Gandhāra, Kapiśa, and peninsular India. By cross-referencing internal and external source data logged within Researcher’s note and the structural indices of Internal Data, this study maps thirty-two distinct diagnostic settings. These settings span from the high-status imperial foundations of the Taxila Valley to the submerged monastic infrastructure of ancient Vijayapuri. Through an objective analysis of nested reliquary systems, stratigraphic ash layers denoting ancient disruptions, and synchronous coin hoards (including Kushan gold issues and Roman imperial aurei), the monograph provides a rigorous probabilistic historical assessment of early human custodianship networks. Linguistic and paleographic calibrations of text-bearing stone and metal substrates, registered under Private Research Note, confirm that these specimens were historically identified and venerated as tooth relics (danta) by their original sovereign and monastic custodians, anchoring ritual practices securely within documented material contexts. This research demonstrates that relic distribution operated as a decentralized, state-sponsored tool of imperial integration and public trust preservation, offering a refined analytical methodology for the governance of Buddhist material heritage.