EAP756/12

The collection of the Bhurāʺ kyoṅʻʺ monastery (pronounced Hpaya-kyaung) located in the Ṅhakʻ pacʻ toṅʻ kyoṅʻʺ tuikʻ monastery complex (pron. Hnget-pit-taung kyaung-taik) in Ññoṅʻ ūʺ town (pron. Nyaung U) is one of the larger manuscript archives surviving in Bagan area. Also, it seems to represent a major collection surviving in the monastery complex itself, though our survey of manuscript holdings at Ṅhakʻ pacʻ toṅʻ is not yet complete. Almost all manuscripts seem to be on palm-leaf. Roughly two thirds of the collection represent more or less complete bundles of which there are about 120, and there is a large cache of disorganized folios which, in our estimate, might yield seventy something additional manuscripts if these are sorted and reconstituted. So far, the project team was able to list only a part of collection, so, at this stage, we are unable to define its nature and function as a whole.

Tentatively, it might be concluded that the collection contains the remains of curricular and scriptural canons that were transmitted by the monks residing in Ṅhakʻ pacʻ toṅʻ complex. The existence of a copy of a scriptural canon on site is testified by literary evidence from as early as the sixteenth century, however, what remains is rather an update or the latest re-enactment of it produced at the turn of the twentieth century. Bhurāʺ kyoṅʻʺ also holds a selection of historiographic works as well as a range of titles used in preaching and in liturgical contexts. Additionally, there is one work on divination. Erudite and specialized works are conspicuously missing and so are documents of any nature.

Ṅhakʻ pacʻ toṅʻ as a whole saw continuing manuscript production well into the 1930s which is quite late though not exceptional for Upper Burma. This might be due to relatively slower displacement of manuscripts by printed books in Bagan and vicinity compared to areas such as Halin or Shwebo which were located closer to Mandalay and better connected with it.

Custodial history: The current organization of monastery complex is relatively recent. It might have emerged in the 1930s and 1940s, and thus postdates the period when the production of manuscripts ceased. As a result, the manuscripts currently kept at Bhurāʺ kyoṅʻʺ may have not belonged to it originally. None of the manuscripts surveyed is labelled as owned by this monastery and only two bear later attributions to former abbots of Bhurāʺ kyoṅʻʺ (NU-HPT-HPK 014 and NU-HPT-HPK 004). It seems that the archive is mostly made of manuscripts accumulated from other, now defunct monasteries, such as Khai toṅʻ krīʺ kyoṅʻʺ (pron. Khe-daung-gyi-kyaung), Umhaṅʻ kyoṅʻʺ krīʺ (pron. Umin-kyaung-gyi), and Gotama kyoṅʻʺ krīʺ (pron. Gawthama-kyaung-gyi). Though the manuscripts seem to have had a range of owners, a substantial part of them originally was commissioned for two monks named Kelāsabha and Nandamālā.

The monastery building where the manuscripts are kept is approximately sixty to seventy years old. The better part of collection is preserved in a large colonial-period cabinet that originally served as a display case for the body of a deceased abbot. The cabinet has two shelves; only the upper shelf is fully filled with manuscript bundles. The lower shelf is mostly empty. The collection might be considered relatively well-maintained as the manuscripts are kept in a dedicated repository that has enough space and the roof is not leaking. The cabinet is apparently frequented by rats but, so far, the latter seemingly have not gnawed at the manuscripts.

The disorganized part of the collection was kept in another building that was dismantled in September 2017. Prior to that, members of our team have shifted these folios and fragments to the main building of the monastery. It is probable that the entire collection was originally stored in that structure but was later split into two halves depending on the condition of manuscripts.

The main building of the monastery was the residence of Ūʺ Saddhammapāla, the former abbot who died in late 2015. Since then, the building remains uninhabited, but is well maintained.

During the project period, our team has visited Bhurāʺ kyoṅʻʺ on January 26-27 and June 1-2, 2015 initiating the documentation work. Twenty three manuscripts stored on the lower shelf of the cabinet were checked, sorted out, cleaned, and listed as well as few items from the upper shelf. The work on the collection is being continued.

Administrative context: Administrative context of manuscripts is somewhat complex and reflects convoluted monastic politics at Ṅhakʻ pacʻ toṅʻ complex. At one point, when a total number of constituent monasteries reached nine, a cap was placed on their further segmentation, freezing a nine-monastery structure. However, in practice, the segmentation continued with many constituent monasteries seeing new structures built and gradually acquiring different incumbents. Their leadership structures became equally complicated with some abbotships shared or rotated.

In the case of manuscripts kept at Bhurāʺ kyoṅʻʺ, in principle, they are owned by the monastery, however, after the death of Ūʺ Saddhammapāla who was the abbot till 2015 the building he resided at has a rotating custody. Three of Saddhammapāla’s disciples are seeking incumbency and it was arranged that each of them would be responsible for a year and then yield authority to the next candidate.

Extent and format of original material: The collection is comprised of one hundred and twenty palm-leaf bundles and approximately seventy disorganized palm-leaf manuscripts reduced to a heap of folios. There is also one ivory manuscript. Four manuscripts were digitized in the framework of this project. 4 series.

Owner(s) of original material: The current custodians are three disciples of Ūʺ Saddhammapāla, who rotate as abbots every year.