Burmese Lokapalas : a Problem of Identification

In Burma the proper identification of Lokapalas is exceedingly difficult. Basically the problem stems from the fact that Burmese art has been greatly influenced by Indian traditions, yet successive migrations ofTibeto-Burman tribes have introduced Chinese elements. Consequently iconographic inconsistencies occur with such regularity that a positive identification of Lokapalas is nearly impossible. A case in point is a carving of four Burmese images recently brought to the attention of the author. (Figures 1, 2, 3, 4) Carved in the round, these four standing images wear the conventionalized dress associated with Burmese deva figures as well as nats and royal personages of the eighteenth century. The outer skirt has a multi-tiered frontal panel which covers an inner garment, most likely ballooned trousers. The upper vest with extended shoulders ties at the waist with a simple band. Petal-shaped decorations with jewelled inserts drape the front of the costume, and a tight fitting, sleeved garment extends to the wrists. The jewel studded, multi-tiered crown rises to a finial which recalls the splendidly truncated roofs of the Burmese shrines with a hti on top. With downcast eyes and upturned lips, the delicately carved oval face is framed by :flowered ear ornaments. Presumably the number four is crucial to the identification of these images and Lokapalas in general, In Burmese Buddhism two of the most frequently represented sets of four are the Lokapalas and a group of Burmese saints. In 1922-1923 Duroiselle reports the existence of shrines dedicated to the saints with four images inside wearing monk's robes. He refers to the saints as Shin Upagok, Shin Thiwali, Shin Angulimala and Shin Peindola.l Elsewhere Duroiselle mentions a set of Lokapalas above and below the sun and the moon on the jambs of the Lion's Throne carved for King Bodawapaya in 1816.2 .... this was a way of emphasizing that the Throne, with the spire over it was Centre of the Universe and the King therefore the centre of the world, since he sat between the four Lokapalas.3 * Nancy H. Dowling received her M.A. in Art History from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Presently living in Manila, she is working on two topics : Animal Forms in Thai Sculpture and the Regional Identification of Ifugao Sculpture. 1. Melford E. Spiro, Burmese Supernaturalism, (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1967), p. 44. 2. Yi Yi, "The Thrones of the Burmese Kings," Journal of the Burmese Research Society, XLIII (Rangoon, December, 1960), p. 106. 3. Ibid., p. 107.