BOBOGYI

A Burmese Spiritual Figure

Description

Bobogyi – A Burmese Spiritual Figure is the first book dedicated to this outstanding spirit figure of contemporary Burma/Myanmar Buddhism. From ethereal tree spirits to established pagoda guardians, the book examines various trajectories of this ubiquitous figure. In Yangon particularly, bobogyi have been main actors of the city’s Buddhist landscape through their prominent role in the Shwedagon pagoda founding legend from which so many local Buddhicisation tales have branched out. Bobogyi’s growing presence since the 1990’s has closely followed the recent expansion of urban establishments.

This book also documents the daily changes experienced during a year by the Golden Valley’s Bobogyi, fostered by multiple encounters that facilitate the spiritual figure’s emergence from his urban surroundings and establish his presence.