11th Century Bagan with its thousands of temples is not merely a tourist site. It is a living place of worship for Buddhists as it has been all through the past centuries.

Lacquerware, Bagan’s unique product found nowhere else, has been used in the royal palace, the temples, monasteries and homes of the Bagan citizens and remains deeply ingrained in the fabric of Bagan’s past and present.

All materials used, even now, are organic, for the base is made of wood or bamboo or horse hair. The lacquer sap is obtained from the Melanorrhea usitata tree found only in the deep jungles of the north.

In order to produce a good piece of lacquerware, its surface must be painted on the inside and outside with lacquer first, and then stored in a dry cellar. The lacquer is applied in at least 8, and up to 16 different layers.

In the final stage, the lacqureware artist draws the traditional designs with a needle. Then, the etched lines of the patterns are filled with different colours. A skilful traditional artist has to take six months or even one year to produce prime quality lacquerware.

Bagan House Lacquerware Workshop, one of the traditional workshops in Bagan, welcomes you to have a look at how much care we taken in producing our lacquerware.