The Thiri Rama Finding Ramayana in Myanmar

The Thiri Rama – or the Great Rama – was written for court performance and is the only known illustrated version of the Ramayana story in Myanmar. Based on palm-leaf manuscripts and scenes carved on over 300 sandstone plaques at a mid-nineteenth-century Buddhist pagoda west of Mandalay in Myanmar this book presents an original translation of the Thiri Rama rendered in prose. The volume also includes essays on the history and tradition of the Ramayana in Myanmar as well as the cultural context in which the play was performed. It contains many helpful resources incorporating a glossary and a list of characters and their corresponding personae in Valmiki’s Ramayana. With over 250 fascinating visuals and core text contributions by distinguished Burmese scholars U Thaw Kaung Tin Maung Kyi and U Aung Thwin this book will greatly interest scholars and researchers of South and Southeast Asian culture literary forms epics art and art history theatre and performance studies religion especially those concerned with Hinduism as well as folklorists. | The Thiri Rama Finding Ramayana in Myanmar