Paper Title
ASSESSMENTS OF CURRENT PROBLEMS TO KONBAUNG WOODEN MONASTERIES: CASE STUDY OF THINGAZAR MONASTERY

Abstract
Abstract - In Mandalay area, there are about 55 distinct wooden monasteries built under the dynasty of King Mindon and King Hsipaw. But that number remains only in the historical record, and it is rarely visible today. Some of these monasteries are left even concerned that natural disasters of successive generations, fire issues, animals, and the lack of maintenance by the respective people or organizations be eradicated. Therefore, these monasteries need to be maintained on time before they are badly ruined. Today, there have many academic researches about these monasteries performed by local and foreign experts but most of them are about the architecture and the artworks of woodcarving of monasteries. Therefore, it has a gap to explore the current situation of those heritage wooden monasteries and find out suitable maintenance ways for long-lasting. As regards this paper, the authors study and analyze the current situation of all the Konbaung period wooden monasteries in Mandalay at first. And then, select a monastery that needs to be maintained the most and, reveal the current condition and detailed analysis of the damage to the building with three assessments (history and previous maintenance works, physical, and architectural assessment). After making detailed assessments, the authors point out the appropriate maintenance methods and the causes of the damage to the building. And then, to reduce the causes of damage and to get healthy heritage wooden monasteries, suitable suggestions are stated. In summary and conclusion, the authors recommend and state the overall conditions of the wooden monasteries and their future plans. Keywords - Mandalay, Konbaung Wooden Monasteries, Current Condition, Damage, Assessments, Causes, Maintenance Methods