User's Guide

This database contains raw data that we were allowed to record by the holders in Myanmar, and as a result it has not been sorted according to subject. We aimed to select Parabaik relevant to socio-economic history, but documents relating to astrology, medicine, poetry and so on are to be found, because one Parabaik was customarily used to record material on many different topics.

1. Each image consists of two facing pages of a Parabaik manuscript. Therefore, one image may contain several documents, while one longer document may consist of several images.

2. Since images are taken after turning each page in the Parabaik, a particular document may be identified in its context by viewing the images numbered before and after it.

3. In some cases the same image appears twice in order to facilitate detailed comparison of its contents.

4. Some images are reversed and others are revised to make them easier to read. Images that are still difficult to decipher should be adjusted using imaging software.

5. The documents are classified according to their contents. Users can search for documents in the index of these categories.