Burmese Sketches - Khamkoo

BURMESE SKETCHES. I q i
each pillar is carved the four-faced Brahma, the creator of
the universe, holding lotus flowers in each hand. The
anatomy of the figure and its facial expression are perfect.
The broad forehead, the firm mouth, the thin lips, and the
well-developed chin indicate high intellectual power.
(i) NAGAYON PAGODA.
The Nagayon Pagoda, built by Kyanzittha in 1064 A. D.,
marks an intermediate stage in the development of Indo-
Burmese architecture, which reaches its culminating point in
the Ananda Temple. With its portico and aisles, and its
steeple-like sikhara, it looks, from a distance, somewhat like a
mediaeval cathedral. The fineness of the brickwork and th-:
absence of the slightest interstices between the different layers
of brick, aided, no doubt, by the remarkable dryness of the
climate, have kept this as well as other equally important
buildings at Pagan, in a fairly good condition- In repairing
the Pagoda, the main work consisted in renovating the terrace
and making it water-tight, in grouting all cracks, after the
removal of unsound portions of brickwork and plaster, in
edging the old plaster carefully, and in restoring the inner
circuit wall.
(i) 8ULAMNAI PAGODA.
The Sulamani Pagoda is a five-storied building erected by
King Narapatisithu in 1183 A- l^-> and is ornamented with
frescoes depicting the manners and customs of a bygone age.
In the torrid heat of Pagan, it was apparently intended to
serve as a combination of a sf72/>a and vihctra^ that is to say,
to be a chapel or pagoda as well as a monastery. No doubt,
it was also intended to be a self-contained institution, like the
ancient colleges of Europe, because, in its immediate vicinity,
traces exist of cloistered cells, lecture halls, chapels, the residence
of the Master or Abbot, an ordination hall, a library and
a tank for the performance of ablutions. The building has
much weathered, but the brickwork, strengthened by bondstones,
is still in a sound condition, in spite of the absence of
plaster or cement on the outside. The conservation work
done is more of the nature of preservation than restoration.
The stone paving was repaired, cracks in the arches were cut
out and rebuilt ; all loose plaster was removed carefully, the
sound portions being edged to arrest further decay. Extreme
care was taken not to injure any of the valuable frescoes.
The steep portions of the stairways were eased out. All