It Looks Like It Is Bronze
The Ashoka pillar has become the Pa-Auk logo over time and it was originally initiated by U Dhamminda for one of Sayadawkyi’s books when he was a monk in the 90’s. The pillar at Pa-Auk was originally a white plaster color, but that has been changed by an artist monk.

During a time near 2003 or 2004, I remember a French/Armenian Ven. Jaruvanna, who used to be an artist, decided to repair one of the lions which had a broken jaw. While he was at it, he decided to do his signature artwork, by making fake things look real, and old too. This is how the Pa-Auk bronze look came to be. He also did amazing things to make a stone faced base, which was just a concrete/plaster mixture as well. However, that part has worn away in time.
He did a good job! The first layer was tarnish green while the second layer was a bronze color. The idea was that as the statue gets older, the bronze layer will fade away, and the tarnish layer will be revealed…

Did it wear as expected? I am not sure. The paint now is a little darker from the dirt in the air. It still looks good, but not like the picture. And the picture does not look as nice as the time when it was finished painted.

Pa-Auk Main, Mawlamyine, Mon State, Myanmar

#art #sculpture #ashoka #monastery

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