Burmese tribute dress worn by a Shan prince. The Shan princes who paid tribute to Burma were allocated court dress and regalia. Sang Thong and many of the royal courtiers in the murals in Viharn Lai Kham wear this type of dress. It is distinct to Shan States that today are part of Myanmar, not Siam or Lan Na.
The Shan chronicles recount stories of heavenly beings descending to earth from the Buddhist Tavatimsa Heaven. The Shan people regarded their coming as auspicious and asked them to stay on earth. The heavenly beings agreed and were taken in golden chariots to palaces where they donned supernatural clothing and regalia and conducted state affairs while seated on gem-studded thrones.
The concept of a ruler whose ancestors came from heaven was interpreted in Shan court dress and regalia. The sight of a prince with the rays of the sun reflecting off his golden robes or a princess with the tropical light shimmering off her dress lured foreign visitors to speculate on the supernatural.
Picture and text credit: The Shan, Culture, Art and Crafts by Susan Conway
Sang Thong wearing his mask and Burmese Court inspired clothing.
Is this a picture of a dancer dressed as a prince or a prince dressed as a dancer?
With the advent of photography many royals in Shan and Burmese society posed for pictures dressed as dancers wearing the flamboyant appendages of the court and courtiers.
Wat Buak Khrok Luang, Chiang Mai, Thailand
A scene from the life of the Buddha, from Myanmar (Burma). The Great Departure: Siddhartha, who will be the Buddha, arrives dressed in the royal regalia of the Shan bids farewell to his wife and child. In Southeast Asia it is common practice to transpose the cultural attributes of Prince Siddhartha into that of the host country.
Image from temple on Inle Lake in Myanmar
