Demolition at Shwe Min Wun Pagoda, home to ancient murals, suspended over lack of prior approval
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Htet Nadi/Saw (NP News)-Dec 22
Despite the damage caused by the earthquake, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture's Department of Archaeology and National Museums has temporarily suspended construction work on the Shwe Min Wun Pagoda, which contains ancient mural paintings. The pagoda was demolished before permission was granted to rebuild it.
About 65 percent of the pagoda was destroyed due to the powerful earthquake, and the Nyaungyan-era murals inside were also damaged, leaving only a few on the ceiling.
“This temple dates back to the late Nyaungyan period. We say this because, according to analyses of the mural paintings conducted by scholars before the earthquake caused the collapse, it belongs to the Nyaungyan period—specifically the late phase. Because it is a work from that era, the restoration has currently been suspended. Permission to rebuild has not been granted,” said U Mhan Thit Nyein, head of the Sagaing Buddha Museum and Cultural Museum under the department.
Despite being one of the historical and ancient pagodas, it is not included in the official list of 20 archaeological sites in Sagaing.
“We are suspending the construction because they sent us a letter requesting permission to renovate the ancient building. To be frank, the building would already have been demolished if they hadn't sent the letter. It was demolished on November 27. We received the letter on December 2, so the reason we had to suspend it was because there was no construction permit for the ancient building,” he continued.
He said that the suspension does not mean that construction will not be allowed, and that permission will be granted to resume construction once approval has been received from the Regional Ministerial Office.
“Now it is completely destroyed. We can only say we are sorry for the damage and we can no longer continue. It has become a situation where we cannot recover,” said Myanmar art expert Kalan Nge Htoo Thant. –