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Myanmar

Bec
2004-09-18 17:11:54

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Lawkawnanda
Lawkananda pagoda was built in 1059 by Anawratha (1044-1077) in Thiripyitsaya on the riverside of the Ayeyerwady, to enshrine a replica of the holy tooth relic sent to him by the king of Sri Lanka and kept in the Shwezigon.

Its base is now being completely overlaid with cut to measure welded copper plates that will be subsequently covered with gold foil like the top. Each temple and pagoda in Myanmar is a financially independent unit managed by a board of trustees. The funds for the work carried out here come from donations made by people who hope to gain merit towards a better future existence.

Gubyaukgyi (M)
The Gubyaukgyi Temple of Myinkaba was built in 1113 by Rajakumar, son of King Kyansittha. According to the story, Kyansittha had an affair with Thambula during one of his escapades seven years before becoming king at which time she appeared with the ring he had given her and their son. Kyansittha made her his Queen and gave her three villages of slaves which Rajakumar inherited when she died. Later, as Kyansittha was dying, Rajakumar used his inheritance to build Gubyaukgyi and dedicated it to his father. (There is another Gubyaukgyi Temple but it was built in the mid 13th century in Wetkyi-in.)

Thatbyinnu
The magnificent white Thatbyinnu temple, built by King Alaungsithu (1113-1163), is one of the highest in Bagan. It contains a maze of interior passages that unfortunately cannot be visited by ordinary tourists...

Dhammayangyi
The massive Dhammayangyi temple is said to have been built by Narathu (1167-1170). It contains an inner maze of corridors and staircases only part of which can be visited for the innermost one has been filled with rubble.

Nanpaya
Nanpaya is a riddle as it contains images of the four faced Hindu god Brahma which is rather odd for a Buddhist temple and its date of construction remains unknown.

Htilominlo
The large two storeyed temple seen from a distance is called Htilominlo after its builder who reigned from 1211 to 1234.

It would have taken a 24mm wide angle lens to get all of Htilominlo. I did not have one so I made this composite.

Below on the left, the details of a secondary doorway and on the right, one of the Buddhas inside. Notice the small squares of gold foil that the faithful have started to stick on the Buddha!

Upali Thein
There are many temples and pagodas left around Bagan but only a few ordination halls (Thein), because these were generally wooden. This one was built of bricks sometime around 1250 and named Upali to honor a famous monk who lived during the reign of Htilominlo (1211-1234).

Inside, this Buddha, seated in the Bhumisparsha-mudra posture is calling the earth to testify as to his good deeds in the past that make him worthy of being a Buddha when challenged by the evil spirit Mara.

Payathonzu
The three contiguous temples called Payathonzu are assigned to the late 13th century. The two eastern temples are well decorated with paintings but the western one is unfinished as if work on it had been interrupted by the Mongol invasion.

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