Diversity in Religion or Statecraft:

Nat Hlaung Kyaung and the Role of Vishnu in Bagan

WIN MYAT AUNG Deputy Director of SEAMEO CHAT Ministry of Education, Myanmar [email protected]) Alphawood Scholarships 2016 Batch

Celebrating Diversity in Ancient Myanmar Hindu-Buddhist Art: Mythical Creatures Inaugural Alphawood Alumni Conference (Myanmar)

Cover Thu Ya Aung November 9-11, 2019. Bagan Abstract Convener: Elizabeth Moore

2

This paper, “Diversity in Religion or Statecraft: Nat Hlaung Kyaung and the Role of Vishnu in Bagan considers whether the Nat Hlaung Kyaung temple illustrates religious diversity in Bagan or it is merely a symbol of royal statecraft for nation building process. It concludes that the temple illustrates the active role of Vaishnavism in Buddhist Bagan.

Vaishnavism at Bagan

Being situated not very far from the Bagan Palace site, Nat Hlaung Kyaung may have been an important temple for the royalty. It is believed to be built by King Anawrathar round about 11th CE (some argued that it was built during the reign of King Taungthugyi Min in 9th or 10th CE) and is the sole Hindu temple in Bagan. There are many suggestions about the role of temple; some thought it was used for the worship place of Indian merchants, and some argue that it was a place where royal religious ceremonies were offered.

Figure -1: Location of Nat Hlaung Kyaung

Source: Contributed by Ye Myat Lwin, Staff Officer, Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture

Figure-2: Nat Hlaung Kyaung in Glance

2 3

Source: Photographed by Author in 2017

As Bagan was an agricultural economy, people’s belief in region was complex, including worship of nature, traditional nats and Mahayana Buddhist sects. "Nature was not considered incompatible with man, for spirit guardians of nature could be propitiated if man desired to live in harmony (even if uneasy) with them. Natural order would prevail as long as proper ritual were followed. This applied equally to government, the working of which were indiscriminately associated with floods, fire, famine and other natural phenomena; if proper rituals and practices were observed there, too, political order would follow”. (Aung-Thwin, 1985, p. 31) Vaishnavism was also practiced. Vishnu had been known in Southeast Asia from the early centuries of the first millennium and had become associated with royal power and foundation of urban centres. (Gutman 1999, pp. 29-36) It was also appealing to common people; there was no dichotomy between Brahmanism and Buddhism in ancient India or in the countries culturally influenced by India including Bagan. While members of the lay community followed the precepts and doctrines of the Sangha in their search for salvation, their daily lives continued to be governed or at least influenced by Brahmanical rituals (Ray 2003, pp.129-33)

3 4

Figure-3: Image of Reclining Vishnu in Main Hall of Nat Hlaung Kyaung (not original, reconstructed in later period)

Source: Photographed by Author in 2017 Figure-4: Image of Vishnu riding on Garuda, (originally from Nat Halung Kyaung, now in The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

Source: Donald M. Stadtner, Ancient Pagan: Buddhist Plain of Merit, Thailand, River Books, 2005, p. 143 Vaishnavism is also related to the ancient concept of Kingship and being a Cakkravartin (conqueror of the world) through identification with Vishnu as the 'conqueror of Three Worlds'.

4 5

Bagan kings were no exception. Another concept of royal duties is to guarantee stability and to ensure the fertility of the land. It was the king’s obligation to ensure rain and to cause the crops to thrive; the same functions are attributed to Vishnu, who is always associated with stability, regeneration and fertility. (Deshpande and Gutman 2018, p.80) Through just rule and prosperity, the king can legitimise his rule. Lacking legitimacy of royal descent, King Kyansitthar mentioned himself as incarnation of Vishnu in inscriptions referring to prophecy of the Buddha that the ascetic Vishnu would, in the future, become King of Bagan. The invocation of Vishnu indicates the influence of Brahmanism at the court, an aspect of legitimation.

Figure-5: Image of Shiva (originally from Nat Hlaung Kyaung, now in Bagan Museum)

Source: Photographed by Author on 9-11-2019

Figure-6: Vishnu reclining on serpent, three gods emerging from his navel (originally from Temple No. 1612, now in Bagan Museum)

5 6

Source: Photographed by Author on 9-11-2019 Figure-7: Figures of Brama (originally from Myaybontha Phaya Hla Temple, now in Bagan Museum)

Source: Photographed by Author on 9-11-2019

Conclusion

6 7

In conclusion, the existence of Nat Hlaung Kyaung not far from the Palace side suggests both religious diversity and royal statecraft. Even though Buddhism later dominated, Vaishnavism was not totally denied. Bagan kings continued to venerate Vishnu. At the same time, Brahmins were part of the royal consecration ceremony alongside Vishnu for rallying the economically dependent population. They also need to accommodate additional beliefs in long-held supernatural beliefs alongside Buddhism. So while it had been suggested that Nat Hlaung Kyaung was used only by Indian merchants of the city, but it more likely featured in royal religious ceremonies. Successive Myanmar kings after Bagan period, also practiced Bhramanism rituals like offering foods to Nats (ဗဗဗဗဗဗဗဗဗဗဗဗဗ) and following Royal Coronation ceremony. For example, the Ponnar (ဗဗဗဗဗဗဗ) quarter in Mandalay still exists today. Ponnar practice Bhramanism and used to be royal advisers on special occasions like royal birth, naming and choosing the right time for going to war. Thus while exact role at Bagan is unknown but we can say confidently that Vaishnavism was part of Buddhist Bagan and its influence on the society, both the king and the people, was not negligible.

References:

Aung-Thwin, Michael. Pagan: The Origins of Modern Burma. Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 1985 Gutman, Pamela: “Vishnu in Burma”, in The Art of Burma, edited by Donald Stadtner, Mumbai, Marg, 1999

Ray, Himanshu Prabha: The Archaeology of Seafaring in Ancient South Asia, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2003

Deshpande, Olga and Gutman, Pamela: “The Vishnu on Garuda from the Nat Hlaung Kyaung Temple, Bagan”, in Bagan and The World: Early Myanmar and Its Global Connections, edited by Goh Geok Yian, John N. Miksic and Michael Aung Thwin, Singapore, ISEAS Publishing, 2018

7