|
Myanmar was a monarchy till the entire country was
annexed in was annexed in 1885. Myanmar kings ruled the country for about
2000 years, so there was a long tradition court customs, etiquette and most
important of all the symbols of kingship – the Royal Lion Throne and the
Royal Regalia. The conquering British commandeered the Royal Lion Throne,
symbol of "sovereignty, nobility, splendor and glory" of the last Myanmar
monarch, King Thibaw and took it away to Calcutta, India. And many items of
the royal regalia were seized as the spoils of war. The Lion Throne was
returned after independence at the request of the Myanmar Government but
only part of the royal regalia was returned. So many of these priceless
items have been irretrievably lost although some originals can be seen on
display at the National Museum. Fortunately for the historical record there
are written records and references in Myanmar literature of what constitutes
the royal regalia, the most notable of which is the treatise "Shwe Bon Nidan"
and a white folded parchment with illustrations of articles of the royal
regalia. A minister of King Thibaw’s Court, Maha Thiha Thura, the Lord
Taingdar was the author.
The royal regalia are the special gold ornaments displayed on royal state
occasions. There are many articles that are part of the royal regalia and
what is interesting is, that each has its assigned place either on the
right-hand side or the left-hand side of the throne although the arrangement
sometimes varied according to the period. The components of the right-hand
side are said to number 18 and those for the left-hand side, 17. These
beautiful gem-studded gold ornaments were put on display only three times a
year. They were displayed when a state ceremony was held for paying
obeisance to the king for the Myanmar New Year in April, at the beginning of
the Buddhist Lent (June/July) and at the end of Lent (October).
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6
|
