This is a late eighth or early ninth-century letter from the Khotanese official Īramaña stationed at a Tibetan fort to his wife at home. The main purpose is to give instructions for the harvest: to water the grain in due time and look after the crops; to look after the sheep and other livestock; and to prevent the pomegranates from drying out. He also requests supplies of flour, sesame oil, raw sugar and felt, and that his son Īrasaṃga should join him 'though it is a long way … You just take care of everything on your own'!
Ink on paper
The British Library,
IOL Khot 41 (M.Tagh.a.I.0033)