160TEMPLES OF BAGAN
THE TEMPLES
mysterious, bricked-up inner passageways
and cruel history.
It’s said that King Narathu built the temple
to atone for his sins: he smothered his father
and brother to death and executed one of
his wives, an Indian princess, for practising
Hindu rituals. Narathu is also said to have
mandated that the mortarless brickwork fi t
together so tightly that even a pin couldn’t
pass between any two bricks. Workers who
failed in this task had their arms chopped
off : just inside the west entrance, note the
stones with arm-sized grooves where these
amputations allegedly happened.
After Narathu died – by assassination in
1170 – the inner encircling ambulatory was
fi lled with brick rubble, as ‘payback’. (Oth-
ers quietly argue the temple dates from the
earlier reign of Alaungsithu, which would
refute all this fun legend behind it.) It’s also
likely that this bricking up of the passages
was a crude way of ensuring the massive
structure didn’t collapse.
The plan here is similar to Ananda, with
projecting porticoes and receding terraces,
though its sikhara is reduced to a stub
nowadays. Walking around the outer ambu-
latory, under ceilings so high you can only
hear the squeaks of bats circling in the dark,
you can see some intact stucco reliefs and
paintings, suggesting the work had been
completed. The mystery goes on.
Three out of the four buddha sanctums
were also fi lled with bricks. The remaining
western shrine features two original side-by-
side images of Gautama and Maitreya, the
historical and future buddhas (it’s the only
Bagan site with two side-by-side buddhas).
The temple’s bad karma may be the rea-
son it remains one of the few temples not to
have undergone major restoration. But that
may change in the future, as China is said
to be interested in donating funds for such
a project. Perhaps then one of the great ar-
chitectural mysteries of Bagan will be solved.Sulamani Pahto BUDDHIST TEMPLE
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About half a mile east of Dhammayangyi, this
broad two-storey temple is one of Bagan’s
most attractive, with lush grounds (and ample
vendors) behind the surrounding walls. It’s a
prime example of later, more sophisticated
temple styles, with better internal lighting.
This temple with fi ve doorways is known
as the Crowning Jewel and was constructed
around 1181 by Narapatisithu. Combining
the early period’s horizontal planes with thevertical lines of the middle period, the re-
ceding terraces create a pyramid eff ect. The
brickwork throughout is considered some of
the best in Bagan. The gilded sikhara is a
reconstruction; the original was destroyed
in the 1975 earthquake. The interior face of
the wall was once lined with 100 monastic
cells, a feature unique among Bagan’s an-
cient monasteries.
There’s much to see inside. Carved stucco
on mouldings, pediments and pilasters rep-
resents some of Bagan’s fi nest ornamental
work and is in fairly good condition. Glazed
plaques around the base and terraces are also
still visible, as are many big and small murals.
Buddha images face the four directions
from the ground fl oor; the image at the main
eastern entrance sits in a recess built into the
wall. The interior passage around the base is
painted with quite big frescoes from the Kon-
baung period, and there are traces of earlier
frescoes. The stairways to the top are closed.Thabeik Hmauk BUDDHIST TEMPLE
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Facing Sulamani from 150yd east, and well
worth visiting, this sikhara-topped temple
looks like a miniature version of its more fa-
mous neighbour, but sees far fewer visitors
(or vendors). Thabeik Hmauk means ‘Boy-
cott Temple’, as it was made in response to
the similarly designed Sulamani, which was
ordered by the brutal king Narapatisithu.
Much of its interior was damaged by the
1975 earthquake, but there are multiple
stairways up to a wrap-around meditation
chamber with little light (and a few bats).
There are two outside terraces, reached by
narrow stairs, with superb views.Pyathada Paya BUDDHIST TEMPLE
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About half a mile southeast of Sulamani,
reached by dirt roads that sometimes get
obscured in goat fi elds, this huge, impressive
pagoda is a superb sunset-viewing spot, with
a giant open terrace (Bagan’s largest) atop
the steps, and another small deck further
up. The tour groups have discovered it so
you’re unlikely to have the place to yourself.
Note how the top stupa isn’t centred on the
top platform.
Dating from the 13th century, during the
latter period of temple building at Bagan,
Pyathada’s interior arches are still partly
open to view. The architects used an inner re-
lieving arch and a second upper arch to sup-
port the huge chambers, illustrating the point