These English translations of Mon inscriptions were made by the late Nai Pan Hla. Appended is Ep... more These English translations of Mon inscriptions were made by the late Nai Pan Hla. Appended is Epigraphia Birmanica, vol. 4, pt. 1 (1934) in its entirety, with five inscriptions from Hamsavati (Pegu) and the Mon stone face at the Shwedagon Pagoda.
The discovery in Upper Burma of a stone sculpture representing the Hindu sage Kapila highlights t... more The discovery in Upper Burma of a stone sculpture representing the Hindu sage Kapila highlights the key role that Brahmanical rituals played in the court life of Theravāda societies. Commissioned in Varanasi, this image of Kapila was transported in 1812 to Amarapura, the Burmese capital, where it was the focus of state ceremonies. Less than a year later the imported sculpture stepped onto the geopolitical stage when it became the centerpiece of an attack on India to free Bodh Gaya from British control before the invasion was aborted. How the palace, the sangha and court Brahmans balanced both Hindu and Buddhist perceptions of Kapila opens a window on the labyrinthine ties between Southeast Asia and Indian civilization.
A Sri Lankan king launched four Buddha images that came ashore in Lower Burma, from Pathein to Da... more A Sri Lankan king launched four Buddha images that came ashore in Lower Burma, from Pathein to Dawei. Each image became the focus of a minor pilgrimage site. The tradition is omitted in Burma's major chronicles and only appears in the local pagoda-histories attached to these four images. The myths in Lower Burma may be based indirectly on a legend in the Jinakamali in which a metal Buddha from Lanka destined for Sukhothai survived a shipwreck and, surviving on a plank from the ship, floated ashore at Nakhon Si Thammarat. It was then eventually taken to Sukhothai.
Exhibition catalogue, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). 39 objects from LACMA permanent c... more Exhibition catalogue, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). 39 objects from LACMA permanent collection. December 2018 - July 2019. Forward: Robert Brown and Tushara Bindu Gude. Essays by Lakshika Senarath Gamage and Donald Stadtner. This is a proof version, with a few formatting errors..
When Linneaus (1707-1780) classified what is known today as the 'Bodhi tree' as Ficus religiosa, ... more When Linneaus (1707-1780) classified what is known today as the 'Bodhi tree' as Ficus religiosa, he drew his 'religiosa' from a celebrated Latin work, Hortus Malabaricus, or 'Garden of Malabar', compiled by Hendrik van Rheeede and published between 1678 and 1693. The Hortus associates the tree only with Hindu worship, specifically with Visnu. The Swedish Linneaus and van Rheede were unaware of the tree's connections with Buddhism. This article for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, also explores for a general audience a handful of well-known Bodhi tree legends. "Under the Bodhi Tree", Kew, Autumn, 1997, pp. 20-23.
The Konbaung dynasty (1752 - 1885) represents in many ways the last gasp of traditional Burmese c... more The Konbaung dynasty (1752 - 1885) represents in many ways the last gasp of traditional Burmese court culture. The loss of Lower Burma to the British by the 1850s only added to the cultural malaise of the Burmese court. Court records, such as the Royal Orders of Burma, and British accounts from the time paint a picture of a society looking to the past for direction to the here and now. The Mingun Pagoda, the 'white elephant' by Colesworthy Grant (British Library), a portrait of Arthur P. Phayre (V & A) , and a stone image of Kapila Muni imported from Varanasi, c. 1812, and worshipped today in Amarapura are among the topics treated briefly in this article.
The Jataka Stories in Theravada Buddhism: Narrating the Bodhisatta Path, by Naomi Appleton, and T... more The Jataka Stories in Theravada Buddhism: Narrating the Bodhisatta Path, by Naomi Appleton, and The Ten Great Birth Stories of the Buddha: The Mahanipata of the Jatakatthavannana, by Naomi Appleton and Sarah Shaw, are reviewed here for a general audience. Both publications highly recommended. This on-line review was posted on Buddhistdoor, July 8, 2016.
Concepts of kingship in Southeast Asia represent a complex blend of Indian and Buddhist ideals, s... more Concepts of kingship in Southeast Asia represent a complex blend of Indian and Buddhist ideals, stretching back millennia. No better ruler raises these issues than Anawrahta (c. 1044 - c. 1077), the first king of Pagan whose historicity is certain. Anawrahta is viewed today as a great national unifier who also singlehandedly introduced Theravada Buddhism. Long a darling of the military government, Anawrahta was added to the great triumvirate of national heroes (Bayinnaung and Alaungpaya), whose garish bronze effigies stand in Naypyidaw. This new challenging book by Geok Yian Goh represents a thought-provoking and well-researched examination of Anawrahta in pre-modern Burmese, Thai and Sri Lankan chronicles and the role this special king plays in twentieth-century Burma. Highly recommended.
The Vakataka Heritage, ed. Hans T. Bakker. Groningen. 2004
The relationship between 'center' and 'periphery raises vital questions about the formation of cu... more The relationship between 'center' and 'periphery raises vital questions about the formation of culture. Does influence flow in one way or the other or is there usually a complex blending ? Also, is it even fair to label certain regions as 'periphery' or 'center' or does this somewhat pejorative nomenclature prejudice or cloud our approach? Ancient India affords examples illustrating many of these basic issues. Daksina Kosala, an area corresponding to a great part of modern Chhattisgarh state, reveals influences from ancient Vidarbha in the Deccan and Gupta north India.
Rarely have the fruits of archaeology so clearly shaped a nation's view of itself as the recent h... more Rarely have the fruits of archaeology so clearly shaped a nation's view of itself as the recent history of the Botataung stupa in Yangon. Flattened by bombs in WW II, the debris revealed a stone reliquary containing an image of the 'fat monk' (probably Gavampati) and a small repousse stupa inside of which were two bone fragments and a strand of hair. At first these relics confirmed a myth about a king who received relics from Sri Lanka that were deposited in the Botataung. Soon, however, during the U Nu period, the hair relic was related directly to the Shwedagon Pagoda. These new finds were therefore quickly twisted to fit into the elastic myths enveloping the Shwedagon. 'The submission of archaeology to the needs of the new Buddhist nation perhaps began here at the Botataung.' (p. 116). (from Sacred Sites of Burma, River Books).
A hoard of nine gold objects was accidentally discovered at the base of the Shwedagon Pagoda, Ra... more A hoard of nine gold objects was accidentally discovered at the base of the Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon, in 1855. A gold sheet, inscribed in Pali, can likely be attributed to Rajadhiraj (c. 1384 -c. 1420). The inscription records donations of stupas and other monuments, occasioned by the cremation of his queen whose 21 bone relics were contained in a gold cup (now in the V & A). Three stupa-shaped reliquaries were also included in the hoard. Two have gone missing but one is now in the V & A. The stupa-reliquaries relate to similar types in Thailand and Sri Lanka.
"Rajadhiraj's Rangoon Relics and a Mon Funerary Stupa", Journal of the Siam Society, vol. 103 (2015), pp. 63-88.
King Dhammaeti sought to create the sacred landscape of Bodh Gaya in his capital of Hamsavati, o... more King Dhammaeti sought to create the sacred landscape of Bodh Gaya in his capital of Hamsavati, or modern Pegu, toward the end of the 15th century. Brick shrines commemorated the special seven-week period that the Buddha spent at Bodh Gaya, significant in many Pali sources. Other monuments commemorated additional events, such as the spots on the Neranjara River where the alms bowl was tossed in and retrieved, and the location where an ascetic named Upaka met the Buddha before reaching the Deer Park. Earlier in the same century a similar replica of Bodh Gaya was established in Chiang Mai with an identical group plan, but the complex went no further than memorializing the Seven Weeks. This article explores the possible Indian and Sri Lankan origins of the Pegu ground plan and questions the notion (proposed by A. Griswold and others) that the plan derived directly from 15th-century Bodh Gaya in India. [For another article on this topic, see "A Fifteenth Century Royal Monument in Burma and the Seven Stations in Buddhist Art", The Art Bulletin, 73.1 (1991), 39-52.
Sacred Sites of Burma: Myth and Folklore in an Evolving Spiritual World , 2015
The Shwedagon Pagoda, thought today to enshrine 8 hair relics of the Buddha, owes its origins to ... more The Shwedagon Pagoda, thought today to enshrine 8 hair relics of the Buddha, owes its origins to a single passage in the Mahavagga (Vinayapitaka) in which two traveling merchant-brothers offered the Buddha food at Bodh Gaya. The Buddha did not present relics to the brothers, but by the time of the great Commentaries, Buddhaghosa and Dhammapala had expanded the story to include 8 living hair relics that the Buddha gifted to the brothers. Accretions never stopped and by the time that the myth assumed importance in Burma (late 15th-century Mon, Burmese and Pali inscriptions at the Shwedagon), even a medieval Sri Lanka episode about a nagaraja was added, from the Naladhatuvamsa. The later Burmese conquest of Lower Burma saw the myth expand yet into new directions, incorporating local nats, who assisted a search for the relics of past Buddhas who had visited Lower Burma. The most prominent nat was located at Sule Pagoda, a shrine elevated to prominence only because the pagoda was made the hub in the newly adopted city plan of British Rangoon. This chapter is merely a brief summary of the various myths and the monument's patronage.
Krsna and Balarama, at their entrance to Mathura, are first slighted by a dhobi in the service of... more Krsna and Balarama, at their entrance to Mathura, are first slighted by a dhobi in the service of the wicked Kamsa; his insolence toward the two 'country boys' results in his death. Next, Krsna straightens the hunchback, Kubja, the provider of unguents to Kamsa. Kubja then flirts with Krsna but she is gently rebuked. The Kubja-incident is depicted in north Indian sculpture now and then, while the caper with the dhobi is extremely rare. The paired episodes underscore contrasting aspects of Krsna's character, his violence and strength together with his affection and benevolence.
An unusual example of portraiture is noted in a sculptural panel now in the Sagar University art ... more An unusual example of portraiture is noted in a sculptural panel now in the Sagar University art museum. The panel's five-line Sanskrit inscription has been dated paleographically to the mid-8th century. The depictions are idealized but the panel provides a rare glimpse into medieval portraiture.
The various major Sansrkrit and Pali versions of Mara's seductive daughters treat the "temptation... more The various major Sansrkrit and Pali versions of Mara's seductive daughters treat the "temptation" of the Buddha quite differently. A number of texts record that the daughters are forced to assume the appearance of hags, punished for their behavior. A depiction among 13th-century wall painting at Pagan (Burma) was drawn directly from the Lalitavistara. In this version, the daughters plead with Mara ("Father, please give us back our beauty"). The depiction in Burma also has parallels with two cloth paintings attributed to Tibet. The likely source for these examples was Pala India.
These English translations of Mon inscriptions were made by the late Nai Pan Hla. Appended is Ep... more These English translations of Mon inscriptions were made by the late Nai Pan Hla. Appended is Epigraphia Birmanica, vol. 4, pt. 1 (1934) in its entirety, with five inscriptions from Hamsavati (Pegu) and the Mon stone face at the Shwedagon Pagoda.
The discovery in Upper Burma of a stone sculpture representing the Hindu sage Kapila highlights t... more The discovery in Upper Burma of a stone sculpture representing the Hindu sage Kapila highlights the key role that Brahmanical rituals played in the court life of Theravāda societies. Commissioned in Varanasi, this image of Kapila was transported in 1812 to Amarapura, the Burmese capital, where it was the focus of state ceremonies. Less than a year later the imported sculpture stepped onto the geopolitical stage when it became the centerpiece of an attack on India to free Bodh Gaya from British control before the invasion was aborted. How the palace, the sangha and court Brahmans balanced both Hindu and Buddhist perceptions of Kapila opens a window on the labyrinthine ties between Southeast Asia and Indian civilization.
A Sri Lankan king launched four Buddha images that came ashore in Lower Burma, from Pathein to Da... more A Sri Lankan king launched four Buddha images that came ashore in Lower Burma, from Pathein to Dawei. Each image became the focus of a minor pilgrimage site. The tradition is omitted in Burma's major chronicles and only appears in the local pagoda-histories attached to these four images. The myths in Lower Burma may be based indirectly on a legend in the Jinakamali in which a metal Buddha from Lanka destined for Sukhothai survived a shipwreck and, surviving on a plank from the ship, floated ashore at Nakhon Si Thammarat. It was then eventually taken to Sukhothai.
Exhibition catalogue, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). 39 objects from LACMA permanent c... more Exhibition catalogue, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). 39 objects from LACMA permanent collection. December 2018 - July 2019. Forward: Robert Brown and Tushara Bindu Gude. Essays by Lakshika Senarath Gamage and Donald Stadtner. This is a proof version, with a few formatting errors..
When Linneaus (1707-1780) classified what is known today as the 'Bodhi tree' as Ficus religiosa, ... more When Linneaus (1707-1780) classified what is known today as the 'Bodhi tree' as Ficus religiosa, he drew his 'religiosa' from a celebrated Latin work, Hortus Malabaricus, or 'Garden of Malabar', compiled by Hendrik van Rheeede and published between 1678 and 1693. The Hortus associates the tree only with Hindu worship, specifically with Visnu. The Swedish Linneaus and van Rheede were unaware of the tree's connections with Buddhism. This article for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, also explores for a general audience a handful of well-known Bodhi tree legends. "Under the Bodhi Tree", Kew, Autumn, 1997, pp. 20-23.
The Konbaung dynasty (1752 - 1885) represents in many ways the last gasp of traditional Burmese c... more The Konbaung dynasty (1752 - 1885) represents in many ways the last gasp of traditional Burmese court culture. The loss of Lower Burma to the British by the 1850s only added to the cultural malaise of the Burmese court. Court records, such as the Royal Orders of Burma, and British accounts from the time paint a picture of a society looking to the past for direction to the here and now. The Mingun Pagoda, the 'white elephant' by Colesworthy Grant (British Library), a portrait of Arthur P. Phayre (V & A) , and a stone image of Kapila Muni imported from Varanasi, c. 1812, and worshipped today in Amarapura are among the topics treated briefly in this article.
The Jataka Stories in Theravada Buddhism: Narrating the Bodhisatta Path, by Naomi Appleton, and T... more The Jataka Stories in Theravada Buddhism: Narrating the Bodhisatta Path, by Naomi Appleton, and The Ten Great Birth Stories of the Buddha: The Mahanipata of the Jatakatthavannana, by Naomi Appleton and Sarah Shaw, are reviewed here for a general audience. Both publications highly recommended. This on-line review was posted on Buddhistdoor, July 8, 2016.
Concepts of kingship in Southeast Asia represent a complex blend of Indian and Buddhist ideals, s... more Concepts of kingship in Southeast Asia represent a complex blend of Indian and Buddhist ideals, stretching back millennia. No better ruler raises these issues than Anawrahta (c. 1044 - c. 1077), the first king of Pagan whose historicity is certain. Anawrahta is viewed today as a great national unifier who also singlehandedly introduced Theravada Buddhism. Long a darling of the military government, Anawrahta was added to the great triumvirate of national heroes (Bayinnaung and Alaungpaya), whose garish bronze effigies stand in Naypyidaw. This new challenging book by Geok Yian Goh represents a thought-provoking and well-researched examination of Anawrahta in pre-modern Burmese, Thai and Sri Lankan chronicles and the role this special king plays in twentieth-century Burma. Highly recommended.
The Vakataka Heritage, ed. Hans T. Bakker. Groningen. 2004
The relationship between 'center' and 'periphery raises vital questions about the formation of cu... more The relationship between 'center' and 'periphery raises vital questions about the formation of culture. Does influence flow in one way or the other or is there usually a complex blending ? Also, is it even fair to label certain regions as 'periphery' or 'center' or does this somewhat pejorative nomenclature prejudice or cloud our approach? Ancient India affords examples illustrating many of these basic issues. Daksina Kosala, an area corresponding to a great part of modern Chhattisgarh state, reveals influences from ancient Vidarbha in the Deccan and Gupta north India.
Rarely have the fruits of archaeology so clearly shaped a nation's view of itself as the recent h... more Rarely have the fruits of archaeology so clearly shaped a nation's view of itself as the recent history of the Botataung stupa in Yangon. Flattened by bombs in WW II, the debris revealed a stone reliquary containing an image of the 'fat monk' (probably Gavampati) and a small repousse stupa inside of which were two bone fragments and a strand of hair. At first these relics confirmed a myth about a king who received relics from Sri Lanka that were deposited in the Botataung. Soon, however, during the U Nu period, the hair relic was related directly to the Shwedagon Pagoda. These new finds were therefore quickly twisted to fit into the elastic myths enveloping the Shwedagon. 'The submission of archaeology to the needs of the new Buddhist nation perhaps began here at the Botataung.' (p. 116). (from Sacred Sites of Burma, River Books).
A hoard of nine gold objects was accidentally discovered at the base of the Shwedagon Pagoda, Ra... more A hoard of nine gold objects was accidentally discovered at the base of the Shwedagon Pagoda, Rangoon, in 1855. A gold sheet, inscribed in Pali, can likely be attributed to Rajadhiraj (c. 1384 -c. 1420). The inscription records donations of stupas and other monuments, occasioned by the cremation of his queen whose 21 bone relics were contained in a gold cup (now in the V & A). Three stupa-shaped reliquaries were also included in the hoard. Two have gone missing but one is now in the V & A. The stupa-reliquaries relate to similar types in Thailand and Sri Lanka.
"Rajadhiraj's Rangoon Relics and a Mon Funerary Stupa", Journal of the Siam Society, vol. 103 (2015), pp. 63-88.
King Dhammaeti sought to create the sacred landscape of Bodh Gaya in his capital of Hamsavati, o... more King Dhammaeti sought to create the sacred landscape of Bodh Gaya in his capital of Hamsavati, or modern Pegu, toward the end of the 15th century. Brick shrines commemorated the special seven-week period that the Buddha spent at Bodh Gaya, significant in many Pali sources. Other monuments commemorated additional events, such as the spots on the Neranjara River where the alms bowl was tossed in and retrieved, and the location where an ascetic named Upaka met the Buddha before reaching the Deer Park. Earlier in the same century a similar replica of Bodh Gaya was established in Chiang Mai with an identical group plan, but the complex went no further than memorializing the Seven Weeks. This article explores the possible Indian and Sri Lankan origins of the Pegu ground plan and questions the notion (proposed by A. Griswold and others) that the plan derived directly from 15th-century Bodh Gaya in India. [For another article on this topic, see "A Fifteenth Century Royal Monument in Burma and the Seven Stations in Buddhist Art", The Art Bulletin, 73.1 (1991), 39-52.
Sacred Sites of Burma: Myth and Folklore in an Evolving Spiritual World , 2015
The Shwedagon Pagoda, thought today to enshrine 8 hair relics of the Buddha, owes its origins to ... more The Shwedagon Pagoda, thought today to enshrine 8 hair relics of the Buddha, owes its origins to a single passage in the Mahavagga (Vinayapitaka) in which two traveling merchant-brothers offered the Buddha food at Bodh Gaya. The Buddha did not present relics to the brothers, but by the time of the great Commentaries, Buddhaghosa and Dhammapala had expanded the story to include 8 living hair relics that the Buddha gifted to the brothers. Accretions never stopped and by the time that the myth assumed importance in Burma (late 15th-century Mon, Burmese and Pali inscriptions at the Shwedagon), even a medieval Sri Lanka episode about a nagaraja was added, from the Naladhatuvamsa. The later Burmese conquest of Lower Burma saw the myth expand yet into new directions, incorporating local nats, who assisted a search for the relics of past Buddhas who had visited Lower Burma. The most prominent nat was located at Sule Pagoda, a shrine elevated to prominence only because the pagoda was made the hub in the newly adopted city plan of British Rangoon. This chapter is merely a brief summary of the various myths and the monument's patronage.
Krsna and Balarama, at their entrance to Mathura, are first slighted by a dhobi in the service of... more Krsna and Balarama, at their entrance to Mathura, are first slighted by a dhobi in the service of the wicked Kamsa; his insolence toward the two 'country boys' results in his death. Next, Krsna straightens the hunchback, Kubja, the provider of unguents to Kamsa. Kubja then flirts with Krsna but she is gently rebuked. The Kubja-incident is depicted in north Indian sculpture now and then, while the caper with the dhobi is extremely rare. The paired episodes underscore contrasting aspects of Krsna's character, his violence and strength together with his affection and benevolence.
An unusual example of portraiture is noted in a sculptural panel now in the Sagar University art ... more An unusual example of portraiture is noted in a sculptural panel now in the Sagar University art museum. The panel's five-line Sanskrit inscription has been dated paleographically to the mid-8th century. The depictions are idealized but the panel provides a rare glimpse into medieval portraiture.
The various major Sansrkrit and Pali versions of Mara's seductive daughters treat the "temptation... more The various major Sansrkrit and Pali versions of Mara's seductive daughters treat the "temptation" of the Buddha quite differently. A number of texts record that the daughters are forced to assume the appearance of hags, punished for their behavior. A depiction among 13th-century wall painting at Pagan (Burma) was drawn directly from the Lalitavistara. In this version, the daughters plead with Mara ("Father, please give us back our beauty"). The depiction in Burma also has parallels with two cloth paintings attributed to Tibet. The likely source for these examples was Pala India.
Contributors: Robert Brown, Tun Aung Chain, Sylvia Fraser-Lu, Jacques Leider, Patrick Pranke, Adr... more Contributors: Robert Brown, Tun Aung Chain, Sylvia Fraser-Lu, Jacques Leider, Patrick Pranke, Adriana Proser, Donald Stadtner and Heidi Tan. The catalogue accompanied an exhibition at the Asia Society, NY. (Feb. 10 - May 10, 2015). The majority of the 71 objects were borrowed from Myanmar. Guest Curators and Co-Editors: Sylvia Fraser-Lu, Donald Stadtner
A Sri Lankan moonstone, purportedly from Anuradhapura, was put on the auction block in London in ... more A Sri Lankan moonstone, purportedly from Anuradhapura, was put on the auction block in London in 2013, fetching over a half a million US dollars. Yet a question marks still hovers over the work's authenticity and provenance. This illustrated lecture explores this case and other questionable works of art, from Burma and India (Sri Lanka Royal Asiatic Society, January 23, 2017, Colombo).
Uploads
Papers by Don Stadtner
"Under the Bodhi Tree", Kew, Autumn, 1997, pp. 20-23.
This new challenging book by Geok Yian Goh represents a thought-provoking and well-researched examination of Anawrahta in pre-modern Burmese, Thai and Sri Lankan chronicles and the role this special king plays in twentieth-century Burma. Highly recommended.
"Rajadhiraj's Rangoon Relics and a Mon Funerary Stupa", Journal of the Siam Society, vol. 103 (2015), pp. 63-88.
"Under the Bodhi Tree", Kew, Autumn, 1997, pp. 20-23.
This new challenging book by Geok Yian Goh represents a thought-provoking and well-researched examination of Anawrahta in pre-modern Burmese, Thai and Sri Lankan chronicles and the role this special king plays in twentieth-century Burma. Highly recommended.
"Rajadhiraj's Rangoon Relics and a Mon Funerary Stupa", Journal of the Siam Society, vol. 103 (2015), pp. 63-88.