• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.155-175
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• 2015

This paper will reveal the legacy of women in the Bagan Period (10th to 11th century A.D.) traced through the early evidences of female figures that could only found in the stones of KyaukkuUmin and in the terracotta of Shwesandaw and Phetleik temples. There have been some writings on the women of the Bagan Period from different perspectives. The role of women from the Bagan Period mentioned in different records and as empowerment of Myanmar Women in the past will be analyzed. Through these female images and other unearthed artifacts found in Bagan, portrayals of womanhood in Myanmar early sculpture will be studied. The role of women in the Bagan will be observed by looking closely at what remains of the sculptures, as well as the craftsmanship applied to the works, which are usually in terracotta, wood, or stone.

• Journal of architectural history
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.75-86
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• 2016

This paper examines the pagodas during the Bagan period, which are thought to be most valuable among those in Myanmar. They have not been sufficiently studied, in spite of their high Buddhist status. It considers the contemplation of Pato, their formal characteristics in the Bagan period and the formal categorizations of pagodas in the same period. Thus, following seven kinds of conclusions are derived: first, researchers provide opinions to the Pato which should be regarded as the Buddhist shrine-type of pagoda with a unique Bagan form, symbolically indicating that Theravada Buddhism incorporated Hinduism; second, the terraces were characteristic components in pagodas, during the Bagan period, which were built after the enthronement of King Anawratha and are thought to symbolically express the wish to widely spread Theravada Buddhism; third, Shwesandaw Zedi seems to affect not only Shwezigon Zedi, a representative standard form of pagoda in Myanmar, but also Ananda Pato; fourth, it is thought to be proper to examine the terraces by classifying them into lower, central(from pedestals to Angryeon and Bokryeon) and upper part, if it intends to divide a pagoda with bell-shaped body on the terraces during the Bagan period, into three parts; fifth, the Pato may be identified as a form of pagoda during the Bagan period, and such a form can be classified as that of Sikhara on the rectangular terrace; sixth, forms of Myanmar's pagodas can be classified into fourteen kinds of them, and they may be also grouped into transmitted, general and special type; and seventh, on the basis of the findings, it is thought that the pagodas during the Bagan period may be classified into six forms, and they can be largely categorized into transmitted, general and special type.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.67-105
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• 2014

This study focuses on the iconography of Hindu deities in Bagan period. As a country in Southeast Asia, Myanmar received her culture from Indianized culture. As aforesaid, sailors, traders, and settlers brought with them Brahmanism and Buddhism into Myanmar. A possibility is that local chiefs or the rulers invited Brahmans to conduct coronations, weddings, and burials in Brahmanical rites as they will much impressed by the Brahmanical thoughts and beliefs. Accordingly, Brahmanic icons as objects of worship are found quite in number of places, especially in Thaton, Bago, Vesali, Sriksetra, Bagan and Kawgoon. Apart from Buddhist iconography, the Brahmanic icons of various sects can be found in Bagan. Brahmanic deities are illustrated with Buddhist painting, which is a characteristic of Baganreligious iconography. Most of the scenes on Hinduism are to be found in NatlaungKyaung, Nanpaya and Shwesandaw Pagoda. Myanmar people, however, knowingly or unknowingly ignore some features of Indian deitiesand eventually the iconsare found in various places in Bagan.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.309-316
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• 2019

This study intends to identify manufacturing techniques, including casting and alloy composition, of nine metal Buddha statues excavated from archaeological sites in Bagan, Myanmar. Two Buddha statues from Pyu city state(2^nd to 9^th century) contain Cu-Sn alloy(including <1 wt% Fe), with different relatively high percentages of Sn(16 wt% and 25 wt%) identified from each Buddha statue, and no Pb detected. Five Buddha statues from the Bagan dynasty contain various alloy ratios of Cu-Sn(including <1 wt% Pb), Cu-Sn-Pb, and Cu-Sn-Zn-Pb. All Buddha statues appear to be fabricated by casting, as there is no evidence of other heat treatments. The silver Buddha statue manufactured in the 18^th century includes >1% Cu besides silver with no additional metallic components identified. The bronze Buddha statue manufactured in the Konbaung dynasty(18^th century) is of Cu-Sn-Pb alloy. The Buddha statues of Pyu was alloy of Cu-Sn without Pb including ahigh percentage of The Buddha statues of both the Bagan and Konbaung dynasties are comprised of ternary Cu-Sn-Pb alloys, with a heterogeneous distribution of lead and tin. Some of Buddha statues of the Bagan dynasty have similar alloy ratios as those of Pyu, suggesting that similar manufacturing techniques were used.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.370-379
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• 2021

In the past, PVAc [poly(vinyl acetate)] was used as a fixative for the conservation of the murals in the murals of the Payathonzu temple located in Bagan, Myanmar. In this study, attention was paid to gel cleaning as a method for stably removing such PVAc fixatives. Based on the recent research trend related to the cleaning of murals in Bagan ruins, 3 types of gelling agents (Nevek^®, Laponite^®RD, Carbopol^®980) and 2 types of organic solvents (Acetone, Dimethyl carbonate) were selected. Six types of gel cleaners were prepared by mixing gelling agents and organic solvents, and the properties and fixative removability of these cleaners were compared. As a result of confirming the properties of the prepared gel cleaners, the pH of the cleaners was all in the weak acidic to weakly alkaline range, which was a stable condition for mural application. Also, there was no difference in the viscosity of the cleaners depending on the type of solvent, but there was a difference depending on the type of gelling agent used. Regarding the weight loss ratio of PVAc, which is an indicator of removability, the exposure conditions of the gel cleaners, the boiling point of the solvent used, and the viscosity of the gelling agent acted as factors affecting. As a result of comparing the removability of gel cleaners, it was confirmed that the solvent's fixative solubility, the volatility of the solvent itself, and the solvent release control properties of the gelling agent had a great effect on the removability of the gel cleaners. In Part 2, the stability and the running applicability of the gel cleaners will be investigated by making mockup samples reflecting the properties of the materials and techniques used to produce the mural paintings in the Payathonzu Temple.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.494-507
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• 2019

A diagnostic investigation of the conservation state of damaged murals of the Payathonzu temple mainly indicated delamination, exfoliation, and contamination of the coloring layer; cracks and damage to the wall; and separation from gaps. In particular, vulnerabilities resulting from cracks in the wall and damage from gaps demand swift reinforcement measures. Ultrasonic testing uncovered damage caused by gaps between the base layer and plastered wall in several areas of the mural, vulnerable parts in the wall around the cracks, and considerable degradation of the physical properties where cracks and gaps were severe. Moisture measurements identified vast disparities in moisture depending on location even within a single area of the mural, and it was clear that these disparities were the result of environmental conditions such as humidity. Damage to the murals in monument 477 was the most severe, and a diagnostic of the physical properties uncovered severe physical damage to the upper part of the mural as well as to the corridor ceiling, thus presenting the need for conservation treatment utilizing scientific diagnosis as well as objective data.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.267-275
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• 2018

The purposes of this study were to analyze the mineralogical characteristics of slaked lime used for wall repair of traditional buildings in Bagan, Myanmar and to evaluate the physical properties of lime plaster produced by the same method as Bagan region. In the X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis of the Myanmar slaked lime, portlandite ($Ca(OH)_2$) and brucite ($Mg(OH)_2$) were detected as main constituent minerals, and a carbonate rock mainly composed of dolomite ($CaMg(CO_3)_2$) minerals may be used as a raw material to make slaked lime. The field-emission scanning electron microscope analysis showed that the Myanmar slaked lime was composed of irregularly shaped crystals of $0.5{\mu}m$ or larger and a small amount of $0.1{\mu}m$ of plate - like crystals. The size and uniformity of crystals in Myanmar lime is different from that of Korea slaked lime. This may be attributed to the effect of the mineral composition and the lime hydration method of Myanmar, which produces slurry by immersing the burnt lime in excess water for a long period of time. The compressive strength of the lime plaster in Myanmar resulted in a mean value of $1.13N/mm^2$ for the specimens cured for 28 days. The strength of the specimens with Bale juice was $1.03N/mm^2$, respectively. The lime is an air setting material that exhibits strength through long carbonation process. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate physical properties according to curing period through long-term curing over 28 days in the future.

• Conservation Science in Museum
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• v.24
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• pp.117-132
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• 2020

The painting layer of Payathonzu temple mural paintings in the ruins of Bagan Myanmar has been damaged due to various reasons. In this study, the applicability of Neem resin, a traditional Myanmar adhesive, as a fixative on the painting layer was examined. Cow glue and Paraloid B-72 were selected as fixatives in the comparison group, and pseudo-specimens with conditions similar to the original mural paintings were produced to examine the changes before and after applying the fixatives and according to the deterioration experiments. As a result of conducting the experiments and comparing the fixatives, it was found that changes on the surface such as smudge, yellowing and gloss are greater with the application of higher concentration of Neem resin than with other fixatives. However, such changes were relatively small under the condition of 4% concentration. It was also confirmed that chromaticity and glossiness vary greatly between before- and after-application of the fixatives but that such discrepancies tend to decrease at 4% concentration compared to other concentrations. As for fixation strength, it was found that the fixation capacity of Neem resin on the base and painting layers is overall higher than other fixatives as the concentration is increased. Therefore, the applicability of 4% concentration of Neem resin as a fixative on the painting layer was confirmed considering the low surface changes according to environmental factors, low color discrepancy and glossiness, and characteristics of excellent fixation strength. It is believed that the findings of this study could be used as basic data for the preservation of Payathonzu temple mural paintings in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.233-241
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• 2020

We examined long-term variations in sea surface temperature (SST) and annual amplitudes of SST around the Korean Peninsula. Two SST data sets with data periods of approximately 51 years and longer than 100 years, respectively, were obtained from the National Institute of Fisheries Science and Japan Meteorological Agency. SST of Korean waters clearly increased during last 51 years (1968-2018), which was 2.5 times higher than the global trend. This significant increasing trend was caused by the dominant increasing SST trend during winter. However, a negative and positive SST anomaly frequently appeared during winter and summer, respectively, in a recent decade. These features of seasonal SST variation have changed the annual amplitude of SST, and resulted in a drastically increasing trend after 2009. Using the longer SST data set, it was revealed that the decreasing SST trend in winter began in the 2000s and the increasing SST trend in summer bagan in the 1990s. During a recent decade, there was a distinctive SST increase in summer, whereas a clear decrease in winter. In summary, the annual amplitude of SST around the Korean Peninsula significantly changed from a decreasing trend to an increasing trend during a recent decade.

• SUVANNABHUMI
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.167-186
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• 2021

The Grand Stupa is mentioned in historical text as 'Rajakudakan', which means a royal building with a multitiered superstructure. This Grand Stupa is the principal construction of Wat Chedi Luang, and marks the center of the Chiang Mai City Plan. This study argues that the Grand Stupa was built in 1391 during Phaya Saen Mueang Ma's reign, possibly inspired by the construction of Ku Phaya in Bagan. Thereafter, in 1545, the Grand Stupa's superstructure collapsed after the great earthquake, resulted in the irreparable damage since then. Therefore, a survey using a 3D laser scanner is conducted to collect the most precise data on the current condition of the Grand Stupa, yielding an assumption of its reconstruction. Other simultaneous stupas or those that show a close architectural relationship (e.g. stupas in Wat Chiang Man and Wat Lok Moli and the stupa of King Tilokaraj in Wat Chet Yot in Chiang Mai) are also employed as research frameworks for the reconstruction. As a result, the architectural research on the Grands Stupa, compared with simultaneous stupas, yields a fruitful argument that the pre-collapse superstructure form of the Grand Stupa marks the most architectural similarity to the stupa of Wat Chiang Man.