For centuries Burma has been, and remains today, a place where a number of different religions are practiced, including Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. In the Museum’s collection, Buddhist artefacts are by far the most numerous. This is in part because Theravada Buddhism has long been the dominant and most popular religion. But it also reflects British collectors’ interest in Buddhism, taking it to be the definitive faith of Burma. The objects here were not produced especially for British purchasers, as some of the artefacts in the ‘craft’ section were.
Instead, they were taken from their original sites. Some of the objects, such as the votive plaques and probably the amulet, were left as offerings by their original owners, only to be removed by a British collector years later. Some of the other artefacts were likely removed from pagodas with little to no consent. In both cases, in their attempt to acquire objects that could exemplify and display Burmese religious beliefs, they removed these objects from their original religious contexts and uses.
