On the relationship between the two manuscripts of the Khotanese Siddhasāra

The Siddhasāra of Ravigupta is a systematic Sanskrit medical treatise that gained significant popularity in medieval Central Asia. Its Late Khotanese translation is preserved in two manuscripts, Ch. ii.002 and Pelliot chinois 2892, which differ significantly in material, palaeographic, linguistic, philological, and codicological features. Building on Emmerick’s unpublished critical edition of the Khotanese Siddhasara, this article investigates the relationship between these two manuscripts, ̄ while carefully considering their respective differences. By employing a multidisciplinary approach that integrates linguistic, philological, and historical evidence, it is demonstrated that the two manuscripts belong to the same manuscript family. Furthermore, it is argued that the roll manuscript Pelliot chinois 2892 was copied at Dunhuang, either from a copy of Ch. ii.002 or a sibling manuscript originating in Khotan and later brought to Dunhuang.