The Localisation of Buddhism in the Wider Landscape of Bagan

NALANDA–SRIWIJAYA CENTRE LECTURE SERIES

About the Lecture

The monumental architecture at the 11th to 13th century Buddhist capital of Bagan has left the rest of the empire in the shadows. Few studies have been made of the urban process reflected in the distribution of temples, images, walls and canals of the wider landscape, a gap this ongoing research aims to address.  Unlike the capital where the temples are now part of the Archaeological Zone, 80 per cent of the temples of the wider landscape have stayed in use. This seminar discusses the balance of intangible and tangible heritage, introducing the river valleys, criteria and points inventoried during the course of fieldwork along the main valleys of Central Myanmar.  The survey highlights variations between valley regions, a cultural and geographical diversity in both the historical evidence and the ways they have drawn upon the past to sustain the legacy of Bagan.

About the Speaker: Professor Elizabeth Moore

Prof Elizabeth Moore is an Associate Fellow of NSC. She specialises in the art, archaeology, and cultural heritage issues of Southeast Asia. She has published on Cambodia, Myanmar and Thailand. Her current research for NSC is on the ninth- to thirteenth-century Bagan period: a geographical and thematic mapping of the ancient and continuing legacy in regions outside the capital. She received her PhD from the Institute of Archaeology, UCL (London), and taught at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London for many years. She is now In-Region Liaison for the SOAS SAAAP and assists the Department of Archaeology and UNESCO World Heritage for Myanmar.

Registration

For registration, please fill in this form and email to nscevents@iseas.edu.sg by 29 October 2018.