The Journal of the Siam Society Vol. LXXI, Part 1-2, 1983 - Khamkoo

U Bo Kay, Pagan Thuteithana Lanhyunt (The Pagan Research Guide) (Rangoon,
Sarpay Beikman Press, 1981), 459 pp.
The Pagan Research Guide is one of the most important books written about
Pagan thus far and one·which must be addressed by all interested in the Art of Burma,
· students and professionals alike. The fact alone that it is written by U Bo Kay, the
long-time curator of Pagan and well-known archaeologist and epigraphist, makes its
advent a significant event. U Bo Kay undoubtedly knows better than any other living
person the history, architecture, murals and inscriptions of the two thousand plus
monuments still extant in Pagan, and a book on the subject by him has long been
awaited.
As is indicated. by the title the work is not meant for the specialist although it
does bring new insights and information which will be of interest to the seasoned
veteran; rather it was conceived as an introduction for ~e neophyte who, coming to
Pagan, would like to know more about the· monuments and be directed in his or her
research. The author acts as both teacher and guide and sets forth in a clear manner
a basic framework within which one may easily study Pagan. The book is meant in
no way to replace Gordon H. Luce's monumental trilogy, Old Burma-Early Pagan,·
instead it complements it.
The first half of the work is devoted to various topics, . each of which is
important to the general picture, and taken together give the reader the necessary
baQkground to understand the second section, wherein the monuments are discussed
individually. U Bo Kay immediately defines the area and traces the origins of both
the city and its name, "Pagan," which, he notes, comes from "Pyugama," or "Villages
of the Pyus," indicating the debt which the city owes to the 19 Pyu villages in the
area. He discusses also the impact of the other two peoples who have contributed so
much to Pagan's artistic splendor, the Mons and the Palas. He then proceeds to list
and describe no less than 32 dissimilar architectural designs still to be found in the
ancient city and gives examples for each type. This certain~y is a first, something done
by no other art historian. Yet another important chapter is that devoted to Pagan
Period Buddha images. The author divides these into two types and instructs the
reader how to distinguish between them. ·He points out that definite epigrapbical
evidence bas been discovered giving the name for the second type. That name has
been inscribed on small Buddha images of the Pagan Period found at the Kubyauk
Temple south of Thiripyitsaya Village, in the s'outhern.most sector of Pagan. One also
learns that this type often appears in murals in the Minantbu _area as well. Equally
instructive are his comments on the murals themselves. In these he gives new information
about the use_ of color and original advice on how to look at the paintings. He
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