15thC Burmese Sword

[B.I]

i'm not sure how early iconic references go with burmese swords, but i stumbled across these a short while ago. i hope they are relatively unknown, and of some use.
they are of the late 15thC, and show a dha-shaped blade with no guard, and a dha-shaped grip.
the guys are warriors of mara, from the shwegugyi temple (erected in 1476).

[Mark]

Very interesting. I have not seen these before, and if the date is correct, they show a very early representation of a dha. It is funny that the demonic hosts seem to be the best source of actual contemporary weapons depictions. I have seen a number of daab being carried by Mara's minions in temple paintings from Thailand (much later, though). I guess the artists had freer rein in depicting the bad guys.

[B.I]

hi mark,
i believe these have been well researched and so the date is more likely to be correct.
yes, it is the same with indian art, in that there is a whole host of monstrous creations wielding the weapons we are desperatly trying to research. however far removed from reality the creatures were, the weapons seemed to be exremely realistic and so a great resource to benchmark dates and styles.

apart from these, what is the earliest iconic reference for the dha-shaped sword?

[Ian]

Interesting data. Thanks for the information. These are fairly wide bladed for dha, and quite short if these demonic figures are supposed to be of the same stature as ordinary Burmese. More of a chopper than a sword. They remind me of the length and width of Cambodian leaf-shaped blades from about the same period.

Ian.

[B.I]

i am pleased this is is of some use.

now, if any of you happen to be in the freer, with a camera, in the indian sculpture section.............

the description that accompanies these pieces are as follows -

the pious king dhammaceti (r.1472-92) of pegu in lower burma built a series of temples to honour the life of buddha. the most distinguished was the temple complex of shwegugyi, erected in 1476. it was decorated with an extensive series of large-scale glazed tiles, many of which illustrated the demonic warriors of mara's army, sent to disrupt the buddha's meditation immediately prior to his enlightenment.
this tile, with owl-headed figures bearing swords, is typical of this series.

[Mark]

My resources are very limited, since they are only what other people have decided to photograph. There are lots of daab seen in 18th-19C Thai temple paintings. Yours are the first of any kind that I have seen from Burma, but that likely just means I haven't read the right books.

The earliest dha depiction I have found is from Angkor Wat in Cambodia, but the date is disputed. Angkor Wat was built in the 12th C, but many of the carvings were done. At least one authority believes this freize was carved in the 14th C, by Siamese artists following 12th C style books. What is doubly is that it shows mak as well.

[B.I]

hi mark,
a fantastic image!!
if the temple (?) was built in the 12thC, there must be a known date when it ceased to be added to. was this long past the 14thC?

[Mark]

I will have to go back and re-read my book. The carvings were done in two periods, one in Suryavarman's time, and the other a couple generations later. I'll get back to you on that.

[Titus Pullo]

One of the greatest warriors that had ever lived were probably the Burmese! They whoop the British arses with superior fire power several times before they could gain a foothold in Burma, and even then they always gave the British a very hard time and make them regret trying to subdue Burma. They were thinking of leaving Burma even before the Japanese took over. They thought they were more easy picking...large number of British and Indian soldiers were dying, I believe. But the greatest fighters that every live are probably the invincible Siamese fighters because he fought for his freedom, the country, the people and the king. He knows no fear...he is as cold as ice, and fighting is only his second nature.