Within Myanmar Hoaxes
Did the Earthquake Really Reveal Ancient Treasures?
After the 1975 earthquake, dealers used dramatic discovery stories to market doubtful Buddhist objects as newly exposed medieval treasures.
On this page
- How the earthquake story became a sales tool
- Why authenticity and lawful provenance differ
- How experts test doubtful Buddhist objects
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Introduction
Did the 1975 earthquake at Bagan really reveal a hidden trove of medieval Buddhist treasures? In a limited sense, yes: the earthquake damaged hundreds of temples and pagodas, exposing parts of structures that had been sealed for centuries. But the far more important story is what happened afterwards. Dealers began using the disaster itself as a provenance tale—a ready-made explanation for the sudden appearance of supposedly ancient bronzes, votive objects and Buddhist figures on the art market. Some artefacts may indeed have come from damaged monuments. Many others almost certainly did not. The “earthquake discovery” story became one of Myanmar’s most durable antiquities-market legends because it solved a buyer’s biggest question: where did this object come from?[New Mandala]newmandala.orgNew Mandala Buyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarNew MandalaBuyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarApril 21, 2026 — 21 Apr 2026 — One scam dates from 1975, when a 6.5 ma…
The result was not a single famous forgery but a recurring mechanism of deception. A dramatic natural disaster supplied a believable origin story that could be attached to genuine artefacts, altered objects, modern reproductions or items with no documented history at all. In the history of Myanmar’s cultural fakes and doubtful antiquities, few stories have been as useful—or as difficult to disprove—as the claim that an object was “found after the Bagan earthquake”.[New Mandala]newmandala.orgNew Mandala Buyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarNew MandalaBuyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarApril 21, 2026 — 21 Apr 2026 — One scam dates from 1975, when a 6.5 ma…
How the earthquake story became a sales tool
Bagan, the capital of a powerful Buddhist kingdom between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, contains thousands of religious monuments. When a major earthquake struck in 1975, hundreds of temples and pagodas were damaged. The scale of destruction was widely reported, making it plausible that previously hidden artefacts had been exposed.[newmandala.org]newmandala.orgNew Mandala Buyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarNew MandalaBuyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarApril 21, 2026 — 21 Apr 2026 — One scam dates from 1975, when a 6.5 ma…
According to historian Andrew Selth, traders soon began offering increasing numbers of bronze Buddha images, folk figurines and other religious objects supposedly uncovered from caches revealed by the earthquake. Some authentic finds were indeed discovered during repair work, which made the broader claim difficult to dismiss outright. Yet the story quickly expanded beyond anything that could realistically be documented. Sellers could present almost any object as part of an accidental archaeological discovery.[New Mandala]newmandala.orgNew Mandala Buyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarNew MandalaBuyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarApril 21, 2026 — 21 Apr 2026 — One scam dates from 1975, when a 6.5 ma…
The sales pitch was powerful because it answered several questions at once:
- Why had nobody seen the object before? It had supposedly been hidden inside a temple.
- Why was it suddenly available? The earthquake had exposed it.
- Why was documentation missing? The discovery was accidental and chaotic.
- Why was the object valuable? It was linked to Bagan, one of Myanmar’s most celebrated historic landscapes.
For foreign collectors especially, the story transformed a purchase from a market transaction into a romantic tale of rediscovered history. The buyer was not simply acquiring a statue; they were rescuing a relic from a medieval civilisation.[New Mandala]newmandala.orgNew Mandala Buyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarNew MandalaBuyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarApril 21, 2026 — 21 Apr 2026 — One scam dates from 1975, when a 6.5 ma…
Why the story was so convincing
Successful antiquities frauds rarely depend on obvious lies. They work because they mix truth, uncertainty and wishful thinking.
The Bagan earthquake provenance story contained a substantial element of truth. Earthquakes do damage historic monuments. Repair work does uncover hidden features. Archaeologists have long documented the discovery of objects within religious buildings across Asia. Because such finds genuinely occur, the claim sounded reasonable.[The Art Newspaper]theartnewspaper.comThe Art NewspaperEarthquake in Myanmar damages at least 100 Buddhist…24 Aug 2016 — In 1975, more than half of the pagodas in the area…
The problem was scale. Once the story entered the marketplace, it became impossible for ordinary buyers to distinguish between:
- objects genuinely recovered during restoration work;
- authentic older objects removed from elsewhere and relabelled as “Bagan finds”;
- recently manufactured copies;
- altered antiques whose history had been embellished;
- outright modern fakes.
A dramatic provenance story could therefore add value regardless of whether the object itself was ancient. In many cases, the tale became more important than the evidence.[New Mandala]newmandala.orgNew Mandala Buyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarNew MandalaBuyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarApril 21, 2026 — 21 Apr 2026 — One scam dates from 1975, when a 6.5 ma…
Why authenticity and lawful provenance differ
One of the most important lessons from the Bagan case is that authenticity and provenance are not the same thing.
An artefact can be genuinely old yet still have an unlawful or undocumented history. Conversely, an object may have a persuasive provenance story while being a modern creation.
This distinction is often lost in public discussions of antiquities. Buyers tend to ask, “Is it real?” Experts ask two separate questions:
- Is the object authentic?
- Can its ownership and discovery history be demonstrated?
The earthquake story blurred those questions. If a seller claimed an artefact had emerged from a damaged temple, buyers often focused on age and artistic quality rather than on documentation showing when, where and by whom it had been found.[researchgate.net]researchgate.netResearchGate(PDF) Provenances: Real, Fake, and QuestionableProvenance research establishes the ownership history of artworks, which is es…
That distinction matters because undocumented artefacts can be linked to looting, theft or illicit export even when they are genuinely ancient. Myanmar has struggled for decades with the removal and smuggling of cultural property, and gaps in provenance can conceal that history.[asialink.unimelb.edu.au]asialink.unimelb.edu.auMyanmar's cultural contraband19 Mar 2026 — Now, writes Andrew Selth, war and the appetite of collectors means that protecting the country's rich cultural heri…
How experts test doubtful Buddhist objects
The weakness of the earthquake narrative is that stories alone cannot establish authenticity. Specialists instead look for evidence that can be independently checked.
Examining materials and manufacture
Metals, casting methods, tool marks and corrosion patterns can reveal whether an object is genuinely old or recently made. Modern reproductions often contain manufacturing features inconsistent with medieval techniques. Artificial ageing can sometimes be identified through microscopic examination or scientific analysis.[New Mandala]newmandala.orgNew Mandala Buyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarNew MandalaBuyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarApril 21, 2026 — 21 Apr 2026 — One scam dates from 1975, when a 6.5 ma…
In Myanmar, craftsmen have long possessed the skills needed to create highly convincing replicas. Selth notes that traditional workshops can reproduce historical forms with remarkable accuracy. That artistic skill makes visual inspection alone unreliable.[New Mandala]newmandala.orgNew Mandala Buyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarNew MandalaBuyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarApril 21, 2026 — 21 Apr 2026 — One scam dates from 1975, when a 6.5 ma…
Comparing style and iconography
Experts compare an object with securely documented examples from the same period. Details such as posture, ornamentation, inscriptions and proportions may reveal inconsistencies.
A fake need not be crudely made. Some reproductions combine accurate elements from several periods, creating an object that looks “ancient” to a collector while appearing historically impossible to a specialist.[authenticity-studies.padovauniversitypress.it]authenticity-studies.padovauniversitypress.ituppadoby N Galaverni · 2022 · Cited by 1 — The map suggests a non-exhaustive screening process when studying the authentication of an art…
Investigating provenance records
The strongest evidence is usually documentary rather than physical.
Researchers look for:
- excavation records;
- museum inventories;
- photographs showing earlier ownership;
- export permits;
- sales histories;
- references in publications or archives.
An artefact supposedly exposed by the 1975 earthquake should ideally have some traceable chain linking it to that event. In many cases, however, the earthquake story survives only as a verbal claim repeated from seller to buyer.[ResearchGate]researchgate.netResearchGate(PDF) Provenances: Real, Fake, and QuestionableProvenance research establishes the ownership history of artworks, which is es…
Why the earthquake legend still circulates
The Bagan earthquake provenance story persists because it is difficult to disprove. The original disaster was real. Some authentic objects were undoubtedly uncovered during restoration work. Documentation from the period is often incomplete. Many artefacts passed rapidly into private hands.[New Mandala]newmandala.orgNew Mandala Buyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarNew MandalaBuyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarApril 21, 2026 — 21 Apr 2026 — One scam dates from 1975, when a 6.5 ma…
That combination creates a perfect environment for doubtful claims. A seller does not need to fabricate an entirely imaginary history; they only need to attach an object to a genuine historical event. Over time, repeated retelling can make an unsupported provenance appear established.
The story also survives because it appeals to collectors’ imaginations. An artefact connected to a famous earthquake and a legendary temple city is inherently more memorable than one with an uncertain or mundane history. In the antiquities market, memorable stories often increase value even when evidence remains weak.[New Mandala]newmandala.orgNew Mandala Buyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarNew MandalaBuyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarApril 21, 2026 — 21 Apr 2026 — One scam dates from 1975, when a 6.5 ma…
What the Bagan case reveals about hoaxes and heritage
The Bagan earthquake provenance story occupies an interesting boundary between outright forgery and misleading narrative. The deception was often not the object itself but the explanation attached to it.
That makes the episode a useful case study in how antiquities fraud works. Instead of inventing a fake civilisation or producing a single notorious forgery, dealers exploited a real catastrophe to create a reusable origin story. The earthquake became a marketing device, a credibility shortcut and a shield against awkward questions.
For readers interested in Myanmar’s history of contested claims and cultural deception, the lesson is straightforward: a dramatic discovery story is not evidence. Whether an artefact is ancient, modern, stolen, legally owned or genuinely connected to Bagan can only be established through documentation, expert examination and verifiable provenance. The earthquake may have revealed some treasures, but it also revealed how easily a plausible story can become part of the value of an object itself.[New Mandala]newmandala.orgNew Mandala Buyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarNew MandalaBuyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarApril 21, 2026 — 21 Apr 2026 — One scam dates from 1975, when a 6.5 ma…
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Endnotes
1.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335550326_Provenances_Real_Fake_and_Questionable
Source snippet
ResearchGate(PDF) Provenances: Real, Fake, and QuestionableProvenance research establishes the ownership history of artworks, which is es...
2.
Source: lootedart.com
Link:https://www.lootedart.com/XKBI54841721
Source snippet
ions of restitution and community involvement...
3.
Source: asialink.unimelb.edu.au
Title: Myanmar’s cultural contraband
Link:https://asialink.unimelb.edu.au/diplomacy/insights/myanmars-cultural-contraband/
Source snippet
19 Mar 2026 — Now, writes Andrew Selth, war and the appetite of collectors means that protecting the country's rich cultural heri...
4.
Source: authenticity-studies.padovauniversitypress.it
Link:https://authenticity-studies.padovauniversitypress.it/system/files/papers/AS-2022-1-11.pdf
Source snippet
uppadoby N Galaverni · 2022 · Cited by 1 — The map suggests a non-exhaustive screening process when studying the authentication of an art...
5.
Source: cityu.edu.hk
Link:https://www.cityu.edu.hk/searc/Resources/Paper/20050716_197_WS_20200507_AndrewSelth.pdf
6.
Source: griffith.edu.au
Link:https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/1075338/Making-Myanmar-Colonial-Burma-and-popular-Western-culture.pdf
7.
Source: newmandala.org
Title: New Mandala Buyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in Myanmar
Link:https://www.newmandala.org/buyer-beware-fakes-forgeries-and-fraudsters-in-myanmar/
Source snippet
New MandalaBuyer beware: fakes, forgeries and fraudsters in MyanmarApril 21, 2026 — 21 Apr 2026 — One scam dates from 1975, when a 6.5 ma...
Published: April 21, 2026
8.
Source: theartnewspaper.com
Link:https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2016/08/24/earthquake-in-myanmar-damages-at-least-100-buddhist-pagodas
Source snippet
The Art NewspaperEarthquake in Myanmar damages at least 100 Buddhist...24 Aug 2016 — In 1975, more than half of the pagodas in the area...
9.
Source: newmandala.org
Link:https://www.newmandala.org/archives/page/6/
10.
Source: newmandala.org
Link:https://www.newmandala.org/page/4/?cat=5
Additional References
11.
Source: academia.edu
Title: Hudson 2004 The Origins Of Bagan PhD thesis
Link:https://www.academia.edu/2411556/Hudson_2004_The_Origins_Of_Bagan_PhD_thesis
Source snippet
Academia(PDF) Hudson-2004-The Origins Of Bagan-PhD thesis49 UNESCO became involved in Bagan following the earthquake of 1975, and trained...
12.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig3cNkGf4-c
Source snippet
Myanmar: Quake damages to ancient Bagan examined...
13.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Inside the Forbidden Temples of Bagan: Newly Discovered 11th Century Ruins
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akOEiZ4mFc4
Source snippet
Burma's 'Angkor Wat' Seeks World Heritage Status...
14.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Burma’s ‘Angkor Wat’ Seeks World Heritage Status
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrYd75pcCvQ
Source snippet
The Bagan Temple Wonder Can Rival Angkor Wat, But Why Is It So Little Known?...
15.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Myanmar: Quake damages to ancient Bagan examined
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdbT7ezQ0ZI
Source snippet
Inside the Forbidden Temples of Bagan: Newly Discovered 11th Century Ruins...
16.
Source: voanews.com
Link:https://www.voanews.com/a/myanmar-earthquake-pagodas-damaged/3480231.html
Source snippet
Voice of AmericaMyanmar President Assesses Quake Damage to Bagan...25 Aug 2016 — Bagan is home to thousands of ancient Buddhist pagodas...
17.
Source: academia.edu
Link:https://www.academia.edu/35867076/Secular_Evidence_in_the_Visual_Art_of_Bagan
18.
Source: austriaca.at
Link:https://austriaca.at/0xc1aa5572%200x003acd9a.pdf
19.
Source: icomos.de
Link:https://www.icomos.de/data/pdf/xix-0421-1302-46.pdf
20.
Source: burmalibrary.org
Link:https://www.burmalibrary.org/docs4/Bob_HUdson-origins.pdf
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