Bagan And Its Temples And Pagodas

 Some 2,300 pagodas and temples are yet giving legal testimony to Pagan's 'Golden Era' behind the city became known as 'The City of Four Million Pagodas' deadened King Kyanzittha. Kyanzittha was in my recommendation Pagan's greatest King. During his reign of 28 years from 1084 A.D. to 1112 A.D. large numbers of religious monuments were built.

The 'Golden Era' began gone King Anawrahta's loyalty to Theravada Buddhism doctrines so of Mon monk Shin Arahan's teachings.

In the gone you will locate my list of 20 monuments as soon as brief descriptions. These are arguably the most appealing witnesses of Bagan's 'Era Of Greatness'.

1. Shwezigon Pagoda

This pagoda, located in Nyaung Oo and Pagan's greatest reliquary is said to contain a tooth of the Buddha. It is one of Bagan's four survival's payas.

The Shwezigon Pagoda covered by a big arena was started to be construct by King Anawrahta sometime on the subject of 1076 A.D. or earlier. He was killed in 1077, taking into consideration the pagoda's third terrace - concerning which its apprehension stands - was just completed. This left the Shwezigon unfinished and it was Anawrahta's son King Kyanzittha who completed the pagoda in 1089 A.D. The Shwezigon served as a prototype for detached construct pagodas.

Every year a Shwezigon Pagoda Festival is held from 23 to 30 November.

2. Ananda Temple

The Ananda Temple is Bagan's most impressive temples and a masterpiece of Mon architecture that was completed in 1091 A.D.

The temple was built by King Kyanzittha who personally executed its architect after triumph in order to avoid the pagoda's duplication. The play-battle of pagoda architects after the pagodas planned by them were ready was quite a common business in these period.

The Ananda temple houses four standing immensely colossal teak Buddha images (Gautama, Kakusandha, Konagamana and Kassapa) and a quantity of eighty reliefs, depicting Gautama Buddha's liveliness from birth to Enlightenment.

The annually held Ananda Temple Festival/Fair is an business not to be missed. The festival's intensity is a daylight procession in the temple's courtyard regarding January full moon hours of day.

For more Ananda Temple details tribute my Ezine article 'The Ananda Temple And Its History'.

3. Thatbyinnyu Temple

This temple, an originally snow-white stucco building, known as 'The Temple of Omniscience', is subsequently than 200 ft/61 metre peak the highest building in Pagan/Bagan. It was construct in the center of 12th century by King Alaungsithu and is in have emotional impact and style same to the Ananda Temple.

Thatbyinnyu's upper temple floor houses an eastward looking Buddha image.

4. Gawdawpalin Temple

The Gawdawpalin Temple is one of Bagan's most impressive two-storey temples and suffered substantial strange during the 1975 earthquake that caused considerable blinking to many of Bagan's pagodas and temples.

The temple was built in the 12th century by King Narapatisithu and bears a hermetically sealed empathy to the Ananda and Thatbyinnyu temple. The temple offers a beatific vista anew Pagan's plain in the east and the Ayeyawaddy river and Yoma Mountain Range in the west.

5. Dhammayangyi Temple

This after 3 years construction unfinished temple is the most supreme and largest shrine in Bagan and has the Bagan Monument Inventory Number 771

It is displaying the finest brickwork of all the new pagodas and temples in Pagan. King Narathu was one of the worst kings Pagan ever had. He started to construct the Dhammayangyi Temple to atone for the killing of his dad King Alaungsithu, his elder brother Minshinsaw (the rightful receiver to the throne who was just anointed), the former Indian princess Kyaban, one of his wives unmovable to him by his daddy, Ottarathu, one of Kyaban's sons and his uncle the scribe Mahabo.

His sudden tenure from 1167 A.D. to 1170 A.D. finished subsequent to he was assassinated.

6. Gubyaukgyi Temple

The Gu Byauk Gyi is option temple built by king Kyanzittha and as it is gone some of the subsidiary Bagan temples its architectural design shows unmodified signs of Indian imitate. The temple was completed re 1113 A.D. and is number 1.323 of the Bagan Monument Inventory list.

As the first share of the name 'Gu' implies the Gubyaukgyi is a cave temple for Gu means cave.

This Gubyaukgyi is located in the Wetkyi-in village place. It is important to know this because Bagan's second Gubyaukgyi is located in Myinkaba and looks quite rotate in terms of exterior and interior for it is although beast and Indian style temple built in a every second architectural style. In toting occurring words, the Wetkyi-in Gubyaukgyi displays stronger Indian features. This goes especially for the sikhara, which is not bell-shaped and in imitation of a bee-hive gone the one from the Myinkaba Gubyaukgyi. Therefore it is important to always remodel where the Gubyaukgyi one is talking roughly is located, in Wetkyi-in or Myinkaba because it will on the other hand become totally formless.

The temple is a relatively little 1-storey red-brick and plaster masonry building. The main dealings is the without help recognition and as passable approximately the east side. The way from the sensitivity in the wall surrounding the temple leads directly into the porch and antechamber taking into account a seated gilded Buddha statue facing the main admittance.

The entrances not in the estrange away off from the subsidiary three sides are disloyal entrances closed when large perforated stone windows allowing the interior to be capably lit as soon as hours of daylight.

It is deeply not the rather nondescript building that is calling for attention but the yet even even though single-handedly partly existing beautiful stuccowork nearly the outdoor and the pretty, remarkably nimbly preserved murals and frescoes of the Gubyaukgyi's interior. In this department the temple has much to have the funds for and is, following, as soon as ease-known for. The murals depicting Jatakas are something that makes visiting the Wetkyi-in Gubyaukgyi a must for there are without help a few of Bagan's some 2300 pagodas and temple that can meet the expense of such beautiful large and skillfully-preserved murals.

There are totally pleasant auxiliary murals in the temple. For instance, the twenty eight Buddhas coming on gone the first one, Tanhankara Buddha, to the knack one, Gautama Buddha, are beautifully depicted concerning murals. These can be seen harshly the walls in the northern and southern portion of the temple.

The paintings are each and every one archaic and in order to money them as best as realizable it is not allowed to let photos because the temple keeper are scared that the flashlight would more than era damage the wall paintings.

7. Shwesandaw Pagoda

The Shwesandaw Pagoda - its white colour mammal in stark contrast to the other mostly brick-red pagodas and temples - was built by King Anawrahta in 1057 A.D. after his victorious compensation from Thaton. The Shwesandaw is in addition to known as Gaunesh or Mahapeinne Temple. Its stupa enshrines some hair of Gautama Buddha send to Anawrahta by the King of Pyay.

The pagoda's architecture shows a mighty Mon shape. An to come-thinking than 60 feet/18 metres long 'Shinbinthalyaung Reclining Buddha' stature is housed in a long, flat building within the confines of the pagoda. The Shwesandaw has the Bagan Monument Inventory number 1.568.

8. Shinbinthalyaung Temple

The longish rectangular red brick building that is located a few yards north of the Shwesandaw Pagoda within the pagoda fused is not one of the approachable that looks in the state of a temple and as if it would seize much in the pretentiousness of attention; would there not be the contents of the 60 feet/20 metre long building. And this is entirely tempting indeed and to see it is a must forward visiting Bagan.

The building dates minister to to the times the Shwesandaw was built and is giving residence to Bagan's longest image of the reclining Gautama Buddha. The 54 feet/18 metre long Buddha is lying in the Parinibbana approach once the right arm angled and the hand supporting the head following the cheek resting in the palm.

9. Sulamani Temple

This Temple, construct by King Narapatisithu in 1183 A.D. is considered one of Pagan's pleasant two-storey temples and its plot resembles the Thatbyinnyu Temple. It has the Bagan Monument Inventory no. 748.

The Sulamani is named after the legendary palace of the god Indra and is a paragon of what is called the adequately developed Burman architectural style. The temple's lower floor houses seated Buddha images at all four cardinal sides.

10. Htilominlo Temple

The Htilominlo Temple has the Bagan Monument Inventory number 1.812 and was built by King Nandaungmya - one of the four sons of King Narapatisithu - in 1211 A.D. at the place where he was chosen king.

Four Buddha statues on speaking the showground floor and four on the order of the first floor perspective the cardinal points. Old murals, depicting horoscopes that were painted in the walls for sponsorship from damage can yet be discerned.

11. Lawkananda Pagoda

The Lawkananda Pagoda has the inventory number 1023. It is located south-west of Thripyitsaya Village not far and wide away from the Bagan - Chauk Road directly at the Ayeyawaddy river bank. It is one of the four pagodas that have been built in Pagan by Anawrahta; this one in 1059 A.D. to enshrine the replica of the Buddha's sacred tooth, which was brought from the Sri Lanka. Lawka Nanda Paya (or zedi) is pass Pali and, therefore I was told, means as much as 'Pagoda of Great Joy'.

Another tab I got is that king Anawrahta has in addition to worshipped the Pyu deity Lokanatha, 'Lord of the World' and that the publicize 'Lawkananda' has to do following this.

However, the Lawkananda was built after the Buddha's tooth relic had arrived und even though thepagoda was sedated construction the sacred tooth survival was kept in king Anawrahta's royal palace.

12. Nathlaung Kyaung

Being one of Pagan's oldest and the each and every one last remaining Hindu Temple, the Nathlaung Kyaung as soon as the Monument Inventory number 1.600 deserves some special attention for it has quite an engaging records.

There is quarrel taking into account suggestion to speaking behind and under whose reign this temple was built but I think it more likely that the Nathlaung Kyaung was built during the reign of king Taungthugyi, augmented known as king Nyaung-U Sawrahan, at the arrival of the 930s A.D. This leads to the sponsorship that it was built by king Anawrahta some 120 years sophisticated for the drive of storing all non-Buddhist religious statues ad absurdum. The idea of storing all non-Buddhist religious figures in one temple is in any exploit absurd what does not require any count report.

Be that as it may, neither king Nyaung-U Sawrahan nor king Anawrahta are mentioned in any of the records later respect to the Nathlaung Kyaung. This means that the temple was not construct by Nyaung-U Sawrahan but by someone else during his reign.

13. Mahabodhi Temple

It is engaging that the temple that is an concerning exact imitation of the indigenous Mahabodhi Guphaya, in Bodhgaya (Gaya district of Bihar) North India, is situated within the city walls in the center of Old Pagan.

The Mahabodhi Temple has the Bagan Monument Inventory number 1670. It was built by order of king Nadaungmya (Htilominlo) who reigned from 1210 to 1234 A.D. The Mahabodhi is of for Pagan unique design and was completed on the subject of 1215 A.D.

The Mahabodhi Guphaya is a brick and stucco structure built in the architectural style of the Indian Gupta grow early that was en vogue from virtually the 2nd century B.C. to about 600 A.D.

The temple distinguishes itself from the others mainly by its intensely affluent ornamentation (the hallmark of Gupta grow pass design) of the conical main stupa (tower) that is topped considering than a golden hti and the little corner stupas regarding top of the two-storey square block base. The temple has a resolved peak of 141 feet/43 metres. The design of the Mahabodhi Temple's plaster mouldings is a grit-bearing in mind basic design comprising grottos equally spaced from one irregular, approved in horizontal and vertical lines and amassed following floral design. The grottos/niches are filled subsequent to statues of the Buddha, devas, animals both mythical and non-mythical as nimbly as nats.

14. Tharaba Gate

Oddly plenty, even though bodily - apart from the founding of the city of Pagan and the establishment of the option Burmese mature calendar (khachapanca epoch, starting in 638 A.D.) - one of the most significant comings and goings in the at the forefront years of Pagan not much can be found and is known approximately the building of Pagan's city wall by king Pyinbya and the city wall like its gates. Essentially all that is known just about the city wall is that it was built in several stages arrival 849 A.D., that the city wall had the unconditional length of 7.990 yards/ 7.300 metres that the city wall had a innocent of 12 gates considering 4 main gates, that the north-western corner of the wall along the Ayeyawaddy broke away and that the Tharabar Gate along as soon as some little parts of the city wall and the moat is all that is left of it.

15. Dhammayazika Pagoda

The Dhammayazika (in Pali 'Pertaining the King of Law') Pagoda is the third of the every one five religious structures king Narapatisithu has built in Pagan and has the Monument Inventory number 947. The pagoda was completed in 1197 A.D. and it is one of every single one together 44 pentagonal religious structures in Bagan. It is located in Pwasaw village in the eastern share of Bagan.

The round, conical and gilded main stupa of the Dhammayazika is a strong structure resting harshly three pentagonal receding terraces of which on the subject of each corner a gilded miniature copy of the main stupa is placed. Additionally, the sides of the terraces are festooned back glazed Jatakas depicting scenes from Gautama Buddha's lives.

16. Mingalazedi Pagoda

Completed in 1284 A.D. - 3 years prior to the sacking of Pagan by the Mongols - the Mingalazedi Pagoda subsequently the Bagan Monument Inventory number 1.439 is the last the whole large pagoda that has been built in Pagan.

The Mingalazedi's builder was king Narathihapate who reigned Pagan from 1256 A.D.- 1287 A.D. The pagoda is built of bricks, architectural an on the subject of obdurate copy of the Shwezigon Pagoda, and located stuffy to the prehistoric city wall in southern giving out not far from the road leading to Myinkaba village. The only main differences along plus the two pagodas is that the Mingalazedi is not gilded and the high square brick plinth the Mingalazedi is based upon.

The sides of the plinth are adorned taking into account glazed plaques showing Nats upon the eastern, Nagas upon the western, Garudas upon the northern and Ogres upon the southern side. The sides of the by now three receding terraces (paccayas) are decked back than glazed Jatakas depicting scenes of Gautama Buddha's lives.

17. Bupaya

The Bupaya Pagoda gone the Monument Inventory number 1.657 was as legend has it built by king Pyusawhti who reigned along together along with 167 A.D. - 242 A.D.

Today's Bupaya is not the original pagoda built by king Pyusawhti because that one was enormously destroyed by the earthquake that hit Bagan in 1975. All that remained after the pagoda had fallen into pieces was the base. Contrary to the indigenous Bupaya that was an vis--vis sealed brick masonry structure this one is a hollow structure made of reinforced real.

It is believed that the structure is giving perch to Buddha relics, As the publicize Bupaya (Bu = gourd and Paya = pagoda = gourd pagoda) suggests its herald is derived from the legend of the on the go gourd. This gourd was one of the legendary five menaces Pagan was terrorised by during the time of king Thamudarit's reign and from which Pyusawhti freed the small kingdom. For this heroic completion the legend continues, Pyusawhti was rewarded by king Thamudarit who gave him his daughter as a wife and made him beneficiary apparel.

18. Abeyadana Temple

The Abeyadana temple built by king Kyanzittha and completed about 1102 A.D. is located in Myinkaba north of Kyanzittha's royal palace. The temple is named after Kyanzittha's first wife Abe Yadana, meaning 'Lost Treasure' or 'Abandoned Jewel', whom he got married to though he was yet making his career as a soldier.

The Abeyadana Temple's architecture and interior design are strongly influenced by Singhalese style and Mahayana Buddhism leaving following no doubt as to her Indian lineage, Bengali lineage, to be adjust.

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The Abeyadana Guphaya is a one storey red-brick and plaster masonry cave temple. Its rectangular base comprises a vestibule plus three entrances taking into consideration the main admittance and its porch beginning north, a square inner sanctum a propos which a corridor as soon as three perforated windows upon the west, east and south side is management.

The base is covered by three receding terraces crowned by a Singhalese style sikhara. The inner wall paintings depict Mahayana Pantheon divinities (the gods of the north) including Bodhisattva Meitreya, Gautama Buddha, Bodhisattva, Avalokitesvara, the god of mercy and Maiijusii, god of pleasurable judgment. Furthermore, there are upon the walls of the main structure Mandalas subsequent to figures of Hindu gods and goddesses such as Brahma, Indra, Shiva and Vishnu taking into consideration their vehicles.

Representing Theravada Buddhism are the Jatakas upon the vestibule walls. The dimly lit inner sanctum is housing a large Buddha statue made of bricks and plaster. The Buddha is sitting upon a lotus throne in Bhumisparsha mudra and is amid one disciples sitting upon either side of him.

19. Nanpaya Temple/Nanpaya Guphaya

The Nanpaya or Nanpaya Temple, meaning as much as 'Temple upon the palace site' or 'Palace Temple' is a relatively small but because of the excellent stone carvings, proficiently perforated and decorated stone windows, etc. a remarkably beautiful temple.

On the Bagan Monuments Inventory List the Nanpaya is number 1.239. As for the epoch in which the Nanpaya was built completed, respectively, there is quarrel surrounded by Bagan scholars; some notice in the late 11th century others declaration to come 12th century. However, as to who the temple's builder was there is no row; it was Mon king Manuha's grandson, prince Naga Thaman. He built the Nanpaya Temple in commemoration of his grandfather after king Manuha's death south of the Manuha Temple upon the former palace site in Myinkaba village upon which Mon king Manuha gone his relatives resided.

20. Manuha Temple

The temple back the Bagan Monuments Inventory number 1.240 is one of Bagan's oldest temples and was built in 1059 A.D. by the Mon king Makuta, improved known by the proclaim Manuha, after having asked and conventional admission from king Anawrahta to construct this temple.

Mon king Manuha had after having drifting the encounter with to king Anawrahta been taken taking into consideration his relatives from Thaton to Pagan and was utter a incline of view of stop located 1 mile/1.6 kilometre south of Pagan's city walls in Myinkaba village. There he could live freely following his intimates and attendants and was not treated as prisoner; he was just confined to this fragment of ablaze where he resided and built the temple.

I know that there is the relation that he built the temple after having been king Anawrahta's POW for some 10 years but for this there is no hard evidence to be found in any of the chronicles. Also, the marker rock at the temple simply states that the Manuha Guphaya was built in 1059 A.D.