A library in clay
The Ananda Temple, completed in 1105 CE under the patronage of King Kyansittha, is a temple of the Pagan Dynasty. Its design is a fusion of Mon and Indian architectural styles, laid out in a symmetrical cruciform plan. While the temple's architecture and four large standing Buddha statues are primary features, the building's exterior contains a narrative library made of glazed terracotta plaques. These tiles systematically depict the Jataka tales, which are stories of the Buddha's previous lives.
Hundreds of these plaques adorn the temple's base and terraces. One series of 552 plaques shows the armies of the demon Mara attempting to prevent the Buddha from reaching enlightenment. Another set of 537 plaques on the upper terraces illustrates stories from the Jatakas, with many including captions written in the Mon language. The last ten lives of the Buddha, the Mahanipata, are rendered on plaques with a green glaze. This extensive collection allowed the stories of Buddhism to be accessible in a visual format for the public.
Factories of the 12th century
The creation of such a large number of uniform plaques points to a sophisticated production system. To investigate this, researchers applied neutron activation analysis (NAA) to the materials. NAA is a method that determines the precise elemental composition of a material by bombarding it with neutrons and measuring the subsequent gamma ray emissions. Each clay source has a "chemical fingerprint," which allows archaeologists to trace artifacts back to their geographic origin.
The analysis of the Ananda Temple plaques revealed multiple chemical fingerprints. This finding indicates the clay was sourced from several different locations, not one central workshop. The Pagan Kingdom likely organized a decentralized, mass-production effort. Potters in various locations would have used their local clay sources but worked from standardized molds to ensure the final plaques were uniform in size and design. This system of distributed manufacturing shows a high degree of administrative organization and technical skill in the 12th-century Pagan economy. It allowed for the rapid and consistent production of thousands of tiles needed for this major temple project.