Long stone relief of a seated royal figure beneath a central pavilion, with a halo behind his head and courtly figures seated on either side.
Borobudur,level1 inner wall,panel14. Foucher identifies the haloed king as Druma and the daughter beside him as Manoharā recounting her adventures. The complete court scene is retained.
Overview
Druma rules the kinnaris and is explicitly the father of Manoharā. When the human prince Sudhana reaches his city in pursuit of her, Druma initially threatens to have the stranger cut into pieces. Seeing the prince’s bearing changes his response, and he demands demonstrations of strength instead.
Sudhana cuts seven golden stems and shoots through seven palms, drums and boars. Druma then requires him to identify Manoharā among a thousand similar kinnaris. The successful recognition permits their reunion. The account establishes a royal parent and narrative gatekeeper, but does not describe Druma as bird-headed or assign him another deity’s identity.
Origins & earliest records
Indian Buddhist narrative preserved in Tibetan translation
Records & interpretation
Complete chapter V and its footnotes directly read in the digitized 1906 edition.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources
V, Sudhana Avadāna, pp. 54, 71–74; chapter footnote cites Kah-gyur ii. 202–209
- 02
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources — V Sudhana Avadāna
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1906, title-page transcription independently checked. Tibetan Kah-gyur to German by F. Anton von Schiefner, then German to English by W.R.S.Ralston. CompleteV44–74 and all notes independently read: Janmachitra rescue, Manoharā capture/escape, Pānchika intervention, quest, Druma tests and airborne return. Editor’s explicitly obscure route passage retained as uncertain; original manuscripts not collated.
Family, evolution & connections
Druma and Manoharā in the Sudhana Avadāna
Schiefner/Ralston English translation, actual 1906 edition, story V; named parentage pp. 54 and 71–74.
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Repeated explicit father–daughter identifications support this single branch. Kah-gyur ii. 202–209 is the translator’s edition locator; the Tibetan original has not been independently collated. Attendants and identical Kinnarīs are not assigned kinship. Sudhana’s father-address to Druma is affinal; marriage is not a descent edge.
Manoharā
The translation repeatedly calls Manoharā Druma’s daughter, including her direct address to him as father. The surrounding Kinnarīs are attendants and lookalikes, not stated sisters.
Primary records and illustrations
Schiefner/Ralston, Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources (London, 1906)
V, Sudhana Avadāna. pp. 54, 71–74
Entire chapter pp. 44–74 and footnotes read; chapter note cites Kah-gyur ii. 202–209. Edition title page checked. Primary witness of the historical translation; original Tibetan not independently checked. Translator’s uncertain river-name conjectures excluded.
Located primary passages
Specific passages supporting details in this entry, grouped by their published witness.
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources
Tibetan Tales Derived from Indian Sources, London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1906, title-page transcription independently checked. Tibetan Kah-gyur to German by F. Anton von Schiefner, then German to English by W.R.S.Ralston. CompleteV44–74 and all notes independently read: Janmachitra rescue, Manoharā capture/escape, Pānchika intervention, quest, Druma tests and airborne return. Editor’s explicitly obscure route passage retained as uncertain; original manuscripts not collated.
- Druma rules the Kinnarī city and is explicitly Manoharā’s father. Initially he threatens a human suitor’s destruction, then changes his position and expresses willingness to receive Sudhana. The prince proves skill before him and identifies Manoharā among a thousand lookalikes. Druma formally gives her in marriage with a Kinnarī company and warns against abandonment. Later, when Sudhana misses his parents, Druma permits their departure with treasures and a warning about human deceit.
V Sudhana Avadāna, complete44–74; Druma’s daughter54, reunion/trials71–74; Kah-gyurii.202–209
German-mediated English narrative; Sanskrit/Tibetan originals and listed parallel versions not independently collated. Route names/fluvial interpretation explicitly uncertain in translator note8. Printed markers from transcription. Coercive marriage, captivity and sacrifices remain historical narrative framing, not endorsed. No rite, spell, sacrificial preparation, medical recipe, devotional formula or verse copied.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical translation of Buddhist narrativeSchiefner/Ralston, Tibetan Tales (1906), V, pp. 54, 71–74Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Photograph of historical narrative reliefLong stone relief of a seated royal figure beneath a central pavilion, with a halo behind his head and courtly figures seated on either side.
Borobudur,level1 inner wall,panel14. Foucher identifies the haloed king as Druma and the daughter beside him as Manoharā recounting her adventures. The complete court scene is retained.
