Myanmar’s traditional cultural heritage is well preserved in the country, and the use of Myanmar’s Thanaka can be clearly traced back to the Bagan and Inwa periods through historical evidence found in mural paintings. The Conservation Unit under the Department of Archaeology and National Museum (Bagan Branch), has confirmed these findings.
Depictions of Thanaka application have been discovered in mural paintings at the Apelyadana Temple in Bagan, built in the 11th century AD and at the Culamani Stupa, which was constructed after the 15th century AD.
“The murals in the Apelyadana Temple from the Bagan period and the Culamani Stupa from the Inwa period provide clear evidence that Myanmar Thanaka was used with great reverence by ancient monarchs. While many are familiar with the depictions at Culamani Stupa, fewer people are aware of the ones at Apelyadana Temple. These are invaluable historical and cultural artifacts. Our department continues to conserve and maintain ancient temples, stupas and associated heritage in the Bagan region every year,” said U Kyi Lin, Assistant Director of Conservation Unit under the Department of Archaeology and National Museum (Bagan Branch).
The Department of Archaeology and National Museum continues to safeguard and restore the historical and cultural heritage in the Bagan region. Ancient murals found in temples, stupas and caves are being preserved so that domestic historians, students, tourists and local pilgrims can study and appreciate them as historical legacies.
The Thanaka-painted murals at Apelyadana Temple from the Bagan period have been officially recorded. Meanwhile, during a UNDP project conducted between 1991 and 1992, the murals inside Culamani Stupa were cleaned and restored, revealing significant depictions of Thanaka application.
The Bagan archaeological zone is home to 3,822 temples, stupas and pagodas built during the reign of the Bagan kings, along with an extra 15 temples and stupas in the Tantkyi hill area, bringing the total to 3,837 structures. The murals found in Apelyadana Temple from the Bagan era and Culamani Stupa from the Inwa era serve as strong historical evidence that Myanmar Thanaka has been used since ancient times and continues to be an integral part of Myanmar’s cultural heritage. — Thitsa (MNA)/KZL
