An artist makes sand paintings at Gubyaukgyi Temple in Bagan. Pic: Nyunt Win

IN Bagan, Gubyaukgyi Temple near the village of Wetkyi-inn is famous for its interior murals – tempura wall paintings dating back to the 13th century that depict the Jataka, or stories from the previous lives of the Buddha.

In addition to the Jataka, the “great spotted temple” – as its name literally means – features a spire whose design is reminiscent of Mahabodhi Temple at Bodhgaya in India.

The temple’s interior also bears pictures of 28 former Buddhas sitting cross-legged under their respective Bodhi trees where each one attained enlightenment.

Like many ancient structures in Bagan, Gubyaukgyi has suffered from the ravages of time, sustaining damage from earthquakes and from unscrupulous individuals who have stolen priceless artworks from the temple.

In order to help preserve the remaining artwork, the Department of Archaeology has banned a number of activities that can damage the ancient city’s murals, such as making carbon copies, and taking photographs or videos. Visitors to Gubyaukgyi are even prohibited from shining torch beams on the walls.

But in 1975 when Bagan was shaken by a powerful earthquake, villagers took advantage of the ensuing disorder to copy the murals inside Gubyaukgyi on carbon, an act of opportunism that paved the way for locals to establish a cottage industry of selling copies of the mural images to tourists.

But the artworks sold at Gubyaukgyi differ from paintings sold elsewhere in Myanmar in that they are made using sand-covered cloth as a medium rather than ordinary canvas.

Local artists say the technique was originated by Ko Soe, a man who lives across the Ayeyarwady River from Bagan.

Ko Myint Aung, one of the artists working in the temple’s compound, explained that the technique starts by sketching designs that replicate the temple’s murals on tetron cloth.

He said that after the drawings are made, acrylic glue is put onto the cloth.
“Then sand is sprinkled through a sieve onto the cloth but within the lines of the sketches,” he said.

The final step, after the glue is dried and sand is set in place, is to paint over the sand using vivid colours that match the Bagan aesthetic.

“After sieving, we get the most delicate sand,” Ko Myint Aung said. “We need much patience and a methodical process to make sure we get neat artworks.”
The sand paintings range in size from two square feet up to the size of a normal floor mat.

Ko Myint Aung said the biggest paintings take about three days to complete.
“Foreigners like our artwork and sometimes we even receive orders,” he said, adding that many foreign customers even frame his paintings and hang them on the wall.

Ko Myint Aung said sand paintings required great skill in using a stylus to make the sketches, a technique that came naturally to him because he had learned to use a stylus while attending a lacquerware institute in Bagan.

Another artist, Ko Kaung Myat, said sand paintings were popular only in Bagan because they replicated murals in local temples and matched the region’s aesthetic.

“A friend of mine once tried this business near U Bein Bridge in Mandalay but he couldn’t attract many people,” he said.

Ko Kaung Myat also said his drawing skills had been enhanced by his time spent working in the lacquerware industry.

“[For us] it’s not very difficult to bring the pictures to life. Sand is a better medium for reflecting light than any other material,” he said.

Ko Kaung Myat said their designs, based on the Jataka stories, were attractive to foreign tourists.

“They look strange in their eyes and they like ours very much,” he said.
Both artists said Gubyaukgyi Temple attracted many tourists because its interior murals were widely recognised as being among the most artistic in Bagan.

Ko Myint Aung and Ko Kaung Myat said they sold their sand paintings to local tourists for about K5000 while foreigners were asked to pay US$10 to $15.