PREVIOUSLY unknown ancient wall paintings have been discovered at the historic Mahabodhi Temple in Myanmar’s Bagan ancient cultur­al zone during ongoing restoration work carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The discovery was made while the ASI team was conducting structural conservation and cleaning decora­tive plasterwork at the 13th-century temple. As part of the restoration, 13 small test sections were opened beneath thin layers of plaster inside the upper Gandhakuti chamber to determine whether original murals remained hidden.

The inspection re­vealed three sections containing mural paint­ings: one well-preserved painting on the eastern wall and two faded paint­ings on the southern and northern walls.

Following the re­port, a conservation team led by the Director of the Bagan Branch of the Department of Ar­chaeology and National Museum carried out an on-site inspection and confirmed the presence of the ancient murals.

Bagan is home to 3,837 historic monu­ments. Previously, 416 structures were offi­cially recorded as con­taining wall paintings. The discovery at the 13th-century Mahabodhi Temple adds another monument to that list, highlighting the site’s growing archaeological significance.

Authorities plan to continue uncovering and conserving the newly discovered murals as part of preparations to nominate the Mahabodhi Temple for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List through a transnational nomina­tion.

Dipa Linn/ST

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