(THE MYANMAR TIMES) In Bagan, donors work to save a rare wooden gem

RENOVATION work on a wooden building in Bagan believed to be as much as 250 years old is nearing completion, according to one of the organisers of the project.
Dr Aung Ko Ko, principal of No 1 Basic Education High School in Dagon township, told The Myanmar Times he and two friends have raised K30 million from well-wishers to renovate the building, after receiving permission to do so from the Department of Archaeology, under the Ministry of Culture.
However, the group requires an additional K10 million to complete the reconstruction of two platforms at the site, he said.
- “There are altogether four platforms but we can’t afford to repair all of them at the moment,” he said.
Work began in April 2008 and the group hopes to return the fully renovated building to the Department of Archaeology by early 2010 if it can secure more funding, he said.
Dr Aung Ko Ko said the building’s rich woodcarvings, which have been removed during the renovation period for restoration, should make it a tourist attraction to rival the area’s many pagodas.
- “I am sure that this wooden building will definitely be a tourist attraction,” he said.
Most of the woodcarvings portray animals, including monkeys, peacocks and other birds, and there are also carvings depicting Thagyarmin, the king of the nats.
Situated near the Min-O Chan Tha stupa complex, southeast of Taungbi village, the building is built on 72 teak posts, each about 60 centimetres (2 feet) in diameter and ranging in height from 4.2 metres to 9m.
Before renovation, the teak supports had begun to rot at ground level, causing the 18.5m by 13.5m building to list 30 degrees, he said.
The rotting sections of teak were replaced with concrete supports and iron brackets to preserve the upper segments, he said.
It is one of only two notable wooden buildings in Bagan precinct, as stone was the preferred building material in the area. The other building, Nat Htaunt Kyaung, is also close to Taungbi village, north of Tharabar Gate.

- “Only teak was used for the restoration,” Dr Aung Ko Ko said. “At first we considered substituting the wood-sculpted floral designs for another material but the Department of Archaeology told us to only use wood in order to maintain the original style.”

The nameless building is thought to have once been a monastery constructed in the early stages of the Konbaung era. Department of Archaeology research shows it was frequently visited by Konbaung-era kings, Dr Aung Ko Ko said, which should add to the building’s tourist appeal.

By Khine Thazin Aung and Aye Aye Myo - THE MYANMAR TIMES.


*Pictures: The building in the 19th century (en haut, à droite) / Before renovation (à gauche) / Last month (en bas, à droite).