The Talagan copper scroll, also known as Schøyen Copper Scroll (58 x 26 cm), was discovered and published in 2006 by Gudrun Melzer and Lore Sander. The scroll, dated to 492/3, mentions the four Alchon Huns kings Khingila, Toramana, Javukha, and Mehama (who was reigning at the time) as donors to a Buddhist reliquary stupa.[1] [2]
The scroll is in the Sanskrit language written in the Brahmi script.[3]
The scroll reads:
The scroll was commissioned during the reign of Alchon Huns ruler Mehama in 493/94,[2] slightly after the occupation of the Buddhist area centered on Taxila around 460, but before the major invasions of the Indian mainland, known as the "Hunnic Wars" (from 496 to 534). Besides Mehama, the Alkhan kings Khingila, Toramana and Javukha are also listed as donors, although it is not known whether they were still alive, or whether their named were just summoned for the dedication.[3]
The location of Talagan mentioned in the text is unclear and subject to debate. Talagan may be a region in Bactria (east of the city Kunduz in North Afghanistan) or an area in Punjab, north of the Salt Range.[3] [2]