Noël

2004 · réf. 001057 — New Delhi: APH Publications 2004. In 1790 Badon Min the sorcerer-king of Myanmar Burma embarked on a project to create the Mingun pagoda which if completed would have been higher than the Great Pyramid in Egypt. This tyrant and his sycophantic court inhabited an exotic and rigorously feudal world: Mi the City of Immortals where glittering ceremonials were a way of life. But beneath this ostensibly benign exterior lurked a nightmarish realm of sorcery spells and death by ceremonial drowning. Adopted Hindu gods and indigenous spirits dominated the lives of everyone. The spin-doctors at court were unsurpassed and spun fabulous tales regarding their Master of the Celestial Weapon who 'like unto the kings of the universe who governed the four great islands of the solar system were versed in charms and spells of fourteen descriptions.' And despite being the son of a peasant he claimed descent from the Emperor Asoka of India no less. So deluded was he by his cronies in the occult arts he even declared himself to be Maitreya the Merciful Buddha. Yet over a period of thirty-seven years he was responsible for the death of thousands. Despite this some authors still portray him as an unblemished and oh-so-pious being. The author has delved into previously unavailable indigenous records and contemporary foreign accounts to produce a warts and all portrait of Badon Min his achievements murderous indiscretions and failures. And in the process has uncovered sex scandals and vital evidence that the impossibly ambitious Mingun project was never completed. The text is enriched with many illustrations by the author together with other rare unpublished material which brings to life the colorful reign of this extraordinarily volatile man and the personalities who came into contact with him. 285 pp. illustrated with 23 pp. illus. in col. 1 map. Slight shelfware; otherwise a new/unread copy. First Edition. Hard bound. Near fine/Near fine. 25 x 19 cm. APH Publications Hardcover