Mon State Cultural Museum

The Mon State Cultural Museum (Burmese: မွန်ယဉ်ကျေးမှုပြတိုက်), formerly Mon Ethnic Cultural Museum, is a museum located at No. 50, Htawai Bridge Road & Baho Road, in Mawlamyine, Mon State in Myanmar. It is managed by the Department of Archaeology and National Museum (Myanmar).

Mon State Cultural Museum

မွန်ယဉ်ကျေးမှုပြတိုက်
Established	1 February 1955; 70 years ago (1955-02-01)
Location	Mawlamyine, Mon State, Myanmar
Coordinates	16.4808°N 97.6220°E / 16.4808; 97.6220
Type	Cultural Museum
Owner	Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture (Myanmar)

History

The museum was initially established on 1 February 1955, in a single-story building.^[1][2] At its inception, it showcased over 500 historical artifacts belonging to the Mon, Kayin, Bamar, and Pa-O ethnic groups.^[2] Over time, the museum was upgraded to a three-story building, allowing for the exhibition of a broader range of artifacts spanning the Stone Age, the colonial era, and the modern period.^[2]

Collections

The Cultural Museum currently displays approximately 1,040 items permanently.^[2] An additional 2,228 items are held in storage and are occasionally put on public display.^[2] The collection includes a diverse array of artifacts such as Buddha images, handiworks, historical evidence, tangible and intangible cultural assets, and items related to ethnic traditions, culture, and local vocational industries.^[2]

The Cultural Museum accepts donations of ancient artifacts from the public.^[2] To encourage contributions, the museum offers cash rewards and certificates of honor to donors.^[2] According to the Department of Archaeology and National Museum, the museum has accepted over 2,700 gold items, more than 670 silver items, over 300 bronze items, and more than 4,200 other artifacts through public donations.^[2]

Mon culture

See also: Dvaravati and Mon people

The museum mainly displays traditional costumes, Buddhist artefacts, sculptures, palm-leaf manuscript, handicrafts, bronzeware, silverware, coins and figurines of the ethnic Mon people who founded one the earliest civilisations in Mainland Southeast Asia, and were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Mainland Southeast Asia.

Essentially, the museum houses ceramic art of Mon kingdoms including Martaban jars and Mon musical instruments that can only be seen in the world famous museums.

Moreover, it exhibits a manuscript copy of Myazedi Stone Inscription (AD 1113) in Mon language and a replica of Ceremonial helmet of Queen regnant Shin Sawbu (the real one is at the V&A Museum, London).

• 
  Mon musical instruments exhibited at Cité de la Musique, Paris
• 
  A Martaban jar in the Naval Museum of Madrid, Spain
• 
  A kyam at Fort Wayne, USA
• 
  Ceremonial helmet of Queen regnant Shin Sawbu, now at the V&A Museum, London

Other cultures

The museum also displays artefacts of the Pyu people, Taungoo culture and Konbaung culture including the 19th century divans used by Konbaung dynasty's Queen Seindon and Princess Myat Phaya Galay, who resided in Mawlamyine in the late 19th century or the early 20th century.^[3][4]

Entry

Museum's opening hour is 09:30 AM – 04:30 PM (Tuesday to Sunday) except public holidays.

The museum entry fee is charged at 5,000 Kyats (approximately US$3) for foreign visitors, 500 Kyats for local adults and free-of-charges for school children.^[5][6]

See also

• Mon–Khmer languages
• Early history of Thailand
• Prehistory of Myanmar