Parabaik
| Parabaik | |
|---|---|
| Burma (Myanmar) | |
Black parabaik, c. 1875 CE | |
| Also known as | Shan: pap tup |
| Type | Folding book manuscript |
| Date | bef. 16th century - late 19th cen. |
| Languages | |
| Patron | |
| Material | Mulberry paper |
| Size | Folio: 17 by 7 in (43 by 18 cm) to 48 by 18 in (122 by 46 cm) |
| Format | Folding book |
| Script | Mon–Burmese script |
| Illumination | Burmese Buddhist art |
| Exemplar | Burmese chronicles (Maha Yazawin) |
The parabaik (Burmese: ပုရပိုက်; pronounced [pəɹəbaiʔ]) is a Burmese-culture folding book manuscript. Used concurrently with palm-leaf manuscripts since at least before the 16th century, two main varieties of parabaik were used: black parabaiks served as erasable notebooks, and white parabaiks were used for official documents, and as a support for Burmese art. Use of parabaiks was usurped by the European codex after the British conquest of Burma. Historical parabaiks are valued in codicological research for both Burmese state chronicles, as well as examples of ephemera and gray literature.