FROM BANGKOK POST AND NEW YORK POST WITH MY INPUTS 

BANGKOK — Two gold rings, aged around 2,000 years old, were discovered during an excavation at a new archaeological site in western Thailand, officials said.

The rings were found with human bones during an ongoing dig at the Don Yai Thong archaeological site in Phetchaburi province last week, the Thai government’s Fine Arts Department said in a statement.

One ring found on Thursday was engraved with characters believed to be the Brahmi script, an ancient Indian writing system.

An initial assessment by experts identified the script reading as “pusarakhitasa,” meaning “the one protected by Pushya,” said to be one of the most auspicious zodiac signs in Indian astronomy, the department said.

Pusarakhitasa= Pushya Rakshita

The other ring found with the same skeletal remains is a plain gold ring without any pattern.

Experts believe the rings’ owner may have been a merchant of the ancient Indian caste system, the Vaishyas, the department said.

The Don Yai Thong archaeological site, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of the capital Bangkok, was discovered early this year after residents found pieces of ancient bronze drums in a rice field, leading to further excavation.

The site was dated to a late prehistoric era in Thailand, a period of human settlement also known as the Iron Age, established to be around 1,500 to 2,500 years ago.

Since February, archaeologists have discovered eight human skeletons, bronze and gold jewellery, pottery, and other artifacts indicating a ceremonial burial of wealthy people or members of the society’s upper classes.

The excavation is expected to be complete in another month, with plans to showcase the archaeological finds to the public, the Fine Arts Department said.

The engraving seems to reference an “auspicious” zodiac sign in Indian or Vedic astrology

Pushya Nakshatra (the 8th lunar mansion in Vedic astronomy) is widely referred to by various regional names across India and in ancient texts. The most common alternative names include:

• Sanskrit / Vedic Names: Tishya (meaning “to look” or “auspicious”) and Sidhya (meaning “to succeed”).
• Regional Language Names: Poosam (Tamil), Pooyam (Malayalam), and Pushyami (Telugu/Kannada).
• Modern Astronomy: It corresponds to the stars Gamma (γ) Cancri, Delta (δ) Cancri, and Theta (θ) Cancri in the Cancer constellation. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

From the time of Ashoka (the Mauryan period) through the Kushan and Satavahana eras, names ending in “Rakhit” (such as Buddharakhit, Dhammarakhit, and Sangharakhit) were very common among monks and donors in Brahmi inscriptions. The word “Pusarakhit” is formed by combining “Pusa” and “Rakhit.” In this context, “Pusarakhit” could mean “a person protected under the aegis of Pushya Star.

The other gold ring was plain, and did not have any writing. Initial hypotheses place the rings’ former owner within the Vaishya social class or varna, the third-highest of the four traditional social classes of Hindu India. The Vaishyas were commoners and worked for a living as merchants, farmers and traders.

Researchers plan to conduct 3D scans of the site and send charcoal samples to the United States for scientific dating, per the Bangkok Post.

Posted by London swaminathan 8-7-2026