Bronze statue of King Kyaswa, who ruled Bagan (fig.) from 1235 to 1251 AD. His reign was mostly peaceful, but due to tax-free religious landholdings, the royal treasury became almost depleted, and since ‒unlike his predecessors‒ this King would not resort to forced labour to build his temples, he had trouble completing a temple due to lack of funding.

King Kyaswa was a devout Buddhist, who spent his time to learning and composing religious writings promoting the dhamma. Here, he is portrayed reading from a Buddhist manuscript written on palm leaves (fig.).