page_title: Parabaik
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Parabaik / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Panorama made from page 3 to 12 of an 18th century Burmese watercolour parabeik (picture book) showing scenes from the life of Gautama Buddha. Photoshop was used to combine a scan of pages 3 and 4 with another scan of pages 5 to 8 and another of pages 9 to 12.
context_page_description: Parabaik is a type of paper, made of thick sheets of paper that are blackened, glued and folded together. Along with paper made from bamboo and palm leaves, parabaiks were the main medium for writing and drawing in early modern Burma/Myanmar.
context_section_description: There are two types of parabaiks: historically, black parabaiks (ပုရပိုက်နက်) were the main medium of writing while the white parabaiks (ပုရပိုက်ဖြူ) were used for paintings and drawings. The extant black parabaiks consist of works of scientific and technical importance like medicine, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, history, social and economic commentary, music, historical ballads, fiction, poetry, etc. The extant white parabaiks show colored drawings of kings and court activities, stories, social customs and manners, houses, dresses, hair styles, ornaments, &c. The majority of Burmese chronicles were originally written on parabaiks. A 1979 UN study finds that "thousands upon thousands" of rolls of ancient parabaiks were found (usually in monasteries and in homes of private collectors) across the country but the vast majority were not properly maintained.
caption: A parabaik depicting a panorama of scenes from the Buddha's life
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