Manuscripts, Burmese

Scope and Contents The manuscript is an early or mid 19th century painted Burmese "parabaik", telling the story of Singapatta ("Sangthong" in the better known Thai version), a story from the Buddhist Pannasa Jataka-Suvarnasankha Jataka. The story was so popular that it was later adapted and spread in the forms of "jataka" in the monastic tradition and in the form of tale/performance in the secular tradition. This copy seems to derive from the secular tradition.The manuscript is showing hunting...

Scope and Contents This folding paper manuscript (also known as parabaik) was created in Burma by the Shan people in the early 20th century. It is painted on mulberry bark paper using silvered ink, and displays cosmology symbols and talismans that were used by monks or a master Sala as a reference for tattoo designs and auspicious dates.The art of tattoo in South East Asia, especially in Burma, encompasses ritual as well as decoration. Acquiring tattoos at the Buddhist Temple would ensure the owner...