Two leaves of prayer book, called

Two leaves of prayer book, called "kammavaca"; Burma, ca.1900.
Gilded brass.
Measurements: 12 x 46,5 cm.
Set consisting of two leaves in gilt brass with engraved text. Kammavaca is a Pali term describing a set of passages from the Tipitaka (the Theravada Buddhist canon) that relate to ordination, the bestowal of robes and other rituals of monastic life. A Kammavaca is a highly ornamental type of manuscript, usually commissioned by lay members of society as a work of merit, to be presented to monasteries when a son enters the Buddhist order as a novice or is ordained a monk. The novitiation ceremony of a Buddhist monk is an important family ritual whose main purpose is to gain merit for his future life. A novice may remain a monk as long as he wishes, whether for a week or a Lenten period or even for life, and may undergo the initiation ceremony as many times as he wishes. The most important Kammavaca were preparing for upasampada (higher ordination), the ordination ritual of a Buddhist monk.