Bagan is a Buddhist heritage site built between the 11th and 13th centuries by the first Burmese dynasty. The site houses more than 3,500 brick pagodas and temples and the inner walls of some temple is completely covered with Buddhist wall paintings.
Recent activities for the conservation of wall paintings in the Bagan heritage zone have been conducted as an emergency procedure, hence full-fledged conservation and restoration have not been conducted. However, the main causes of active deterioration are correlated with the interaction of environmental factors (Temp/RH), and sealant materials applied during previous interventions are becoming a serious problem.
The aim of this project is to establish a working protocol that may be implemented on other wall paintings in the Bagan heritage zone as well as to continue undertaking local research surveys together with national and international experts. Capacity building and contributing to the development of local human resources are addressed by including junior conservators in the conservation team and teaching them how to assess and address active deterioration.
In FY2019, we discussed the problems caused by previous interventions that are common to wall paintings in the Bagan heritage zone and conducted training on the method of reinforcing the color layer using inorganic restoration materials.
PUBLICATION
- The World Heritage BAGAN, Myanmar - The Great Wall Paintings published in November 2021 Yuzankaku
- Lokahteikpan Wall painting Project, Pagoda 1580 published in March 2021
- Me-taw-ya Temple Project (No.1205) “Capacity Building; a Conservation Project for the Repair, Strengthening and Recovery of Temple 1205a, Archaeological Area and Monuments of Bagan, Myanmar 2016–2020 published in March 2021
BUDGET
Government funding for the Institue's operational expenses
The Sumitomo Foundation