The Naga at Bagan Temples: Living to Mythical Transformation

SU LATT WIN Curator, Public Relation and Display, Zaykabar Museum [email protected] Alphawood Scholarship Batch (2015)

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

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

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Abstract The naga figure is seen in mural paintings, glazed panels, and stucco carvings of monuments at Bagan. This paper uses examples from different periods that show the transformation of the naga from an anthropomorphic creature seen in the Jãtaka stories to zoomorphic semi-divine creature.

Chronicles and Texts

The Glass Palace Chronicle records an enormous statue of a naga in the royal garden, made and venerated by the Bagan King Nyaung-U Sawrahan (931-964 A.D.) who proclaimed that the naga was nobler and powerful than man (GPC 1992, p. 223). Worship of the naga was also mentioned in the King Kyansittha stone inscription (11th Century A.D.) in which the king recorded his belief in Buddhism, Brahmanism and worship of the naga. In constructing a new royal palace, the king offering food to the naga king (King Kyansittha Biography Inscription 1965, p. 266). As these examples suggest, the worship of Naga was an expected part of royal custom and ritual in the Bagan period. Chronicles also describe the naga as a deified element of folk devotion.

According to the 550 Jãtaka stories, in three stories of the previous lives of Buddha, the Buddha as Bodhisattva was King Naga king. These are: the Serpent King Campeyya (Campeyya Jãtaka), Samkhapãla (Saṃkhapãla Jãtaka), and Bhuridatta (Bhuridatta Jãtaka) (https://jatakastories.div.ed.ac.uk). These and other Jãtaka stories can be seen in most of the Bagan temples as interior mural paintings and exterior terracotta glaze plaque decorations (figure.1).

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Figure 1. Bhuridatta Jãtaka terracotta glaze plaques, Ananda Temple The naga is explicitly involved in several of the significant life events of Buddha. The most well- known is the, so-called Masaleinda (Mucalinda) Lake, where the Sakyamuni Buddha was protected by the hood of the Masaleinda Naga king with his during a storm at the sixth place to visit after his Enlightenment. At Bagan, the Nagayon Buddha images (naga reredos) frequently refer to this story with a single or several-hooded Naga in paintings and sculptures (figure.2). Another event, according to legend, the Buddha left the print of his left foot on the bank of the Nammada river due to the request of the Nammada Naga King. Evidence can be seen in a mural painting of temple number 585 (figure.3). After the Mahãparinibbãna, four tooth relics of Buddha remained; one of them is located in naga country, which was illustrated on the murals of Bagan (figure.4). Besides being a narrative representation, the naga was often used as part of decorations, for instance with arabesque designs in the pediment of the temple protecting that buildings from fire, and water disaster (Meher McArthur 2002, p. 54).

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Figure 2. (a) Nagayon Buddha Image, Kyaukgumin Temple (b) Dolomite Nagayon Buddha Image (from Bagan Archaeological Museum)

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Figure 3. Nammada Naga requested the footprint of Buddha, Temple number 585

Figure 4. The four tooth relics stups of Buddha, Abeyadana Temple. (from Thann Zaw)

Figure 5. Naga in the stucco carving, Kusinayon Temple

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Figure 6. Naga Reredos, Nyaung-yan Period (from Bagan Archaeological Museum) Conclusion

The naga was depicted at in the early periods of Bagan in an anthropomorphic form as a living creature, usually a human figure with a hooded naga headdress, or sometime he was an imaginary half-human and half-naga motif. In zoomorphic depictions of later phases, naga has a hooded enormous snake form in the early age. Later, the design of naga gradually transformed to the mythical creature with crested-headed or multi-headed and arabesque tail decoration. Several examples from Bagan clarify this transformation of the naga from living to myth means that Bagan period naga is mostly found as the ordinary living creature. A comparison between Nagayon Buddha image in Bagan period and later period that the sheltered naga has been significantly transformed as the mythical creature, different from the spreading of the hooded cobra . Artists developed new elaborate twisted designs, known as nagalein, to visualise the crest, multiple heads, and arabesque tail of the mythical semi-divine creature (figure. 2-a.b and 6). According to the religious evolution, naga became the powerful semi-divine creature, rather than Jãtaka stories illustration. Although Bagan period naga is the snake body with crest, the naga obviously transformed into the divine myth of the protective folk element that continue to catch our attention today.

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Bibliography

Chit Thein, U (compiled.) “King Kyansittha Biography Inscription”, Mon Kyauk-sa Pount Chot, (Mon Stone Inscriptions), Archaeology Department, 1965

Jãtakatthavaṇṇanã The University of Edinburgh, https://jatakastories.div.ed.ac.uk, accessed 9,10,15 December 2019

Meher McArthur Reading Buddhist Art: An Illustrated Guide to Buddhist Sings and Symbols, Thames & Hudson, London, 2002

Mya, U (Thiripyanchi) History of Buddhism in Burma (A Brief Outline), Yangon University, Universities’ Central Library, 1985

Nihar-Ranjan Ray Brahmanical Gods in Burma: Chapter of Indian Art and Iconography, University of Calcutta, 1932

Sylvia Fraser-Lu and Donald M. Stadtner Buddhist Art of Myanmar, Asia Society Museum in association with Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2015

COMPILER NAME The Glass Palace Chronicle Volume I, 3rd Edition, Myanma Alinn and Guardian newspaper press, Yangon, 1992

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