Two Bullets in a Balustrade: How the Burmese Have Been Removed from Northern Thai Buddhist History

This article questions the way the Burmese period of Northern Thailand has been depicted by Thai and international scholars. The Burmese have generally been described as violent invaders whose rule ushered in an era of decline in Buddhist practice and learning. This period of more than two hundred years (1551-1772) has been classified as one of destruction, oppression, and intellectual stagnation. The Burmese, it is stated repeatedly, destroyed the "golden age" of Northern Thai Buddhist literature. However, epigraphic, codicological, economic, and archaeological evidence does not indicate that the period of Burmese rule in the region was particularly devastating, especially for Buddhist practice and the production of manuscripts. I ask us to question the history of Burmese violence that has been written by historians of Thailand. I argue that scholars need to refrain from a study of regional history that employs sweeping periodization, ethnic branding, and a selective gathering of evidence from Burmese, Yuan, or Siamese sources primarily. We also need to refrain from seeing Burma as one place and its military, monks, nuns, and laity as a single entity. In the postscript, I offer a short reflection on the way violence toward the Burmese is depicted at a Thai Buddhist monastery.