Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cumulated following themurderofhisfather,brotherandwife.Intheevent,Narathu himself
was assassinated just two years after taking the throne by an eight-man hit squad despatched
from India by the unhappy father of his murdered bride.
Modelled after the Ananda Paya, the Dhammayangyi is instantly recognizable not only for
its sheer size but also for its distinctive outline. The temple is unique among later Bagan
monuments in that it lacks an upper storey, compensating instead with a series of no few-
er than six steep terraces (rather than the usual three) placed on top of the shrine, giving
it a uniquely ziggurat-like appearance. The collapse of the original shikhara-style spire that
formerly crowned the edifice further accentuates the building's pyramidal profile.
The exterior is notable for its superb masonry - it's said that Narathu ordered the bricks
to be fitted together so tightly that not even a needle could be inserted between them (and
loppedoffthehandsofanyworkmenwhofailedtoachievethenecessaryclose-fittingfinish).
The stark interior boast a few traces of murals around the four entrance porches but is oth-
erwise bare andfaintly melancholy,with highcorridors andthe squeaking ofbats andcooing
of doves in the darkness overhead. There was originally a double ambulatory, although the
entrances to the inner ambulatory have been mysteriously sealed up. One tradition says that
thiswasanactofrevengeagainstthegodlessNarathu,althoughamoreprosaicexplanationis
that the inner corridor was bricked up in order to prevent the huge structure from collapsing.
A pair of Buddhas sit opposite the western entrance, with the historical Gautama and the fu-
tureMaitreyaplacednexttoeachother-Bagan'sonlyexampleoftwomajorBuddhaimages
placed side by side. Two stone inscriptions in Pali recording the temple's construction can be
seen directly behind the paired images.
Sulamani Paya
Turn left along the dirt track at the fork just before you reach the Dhammayangyi Paya, or take the earlier dirt
track off Anawrahta Rd signed to “Bulethi/Sulamani“ • Daily 8am-6pm
Sitting in splendid isolation more or less at the dead centre of the archeological zone is
the magnificent Sulamani Paya , built by King Narapatisithu in around 1183. The Sulamani
isn't the biggest or tallest of the archeological zone's myriad temples but for many people
it's the most beautiful of all Bagan's monuments, and the iconic example of the city's late-
style architecture in all its flamboyant finery. The double-cube structure was perhaps mod-
elled on that of the Thatbyinnyu Paya (and subsequently copied by other temples such as
the Gawdawpalin and Htilominlo), although none quite matches the Sulamani's perfect pro-
portions, with two storeys of equal height, each topped by three terraces, striking a delicate
balance between the vertical and horizontal. The graceful shikhara above is actually a recon-
struction following the 1975 earthquake - close up you can see how much newer the bricks
are compared to the rest of the building, although from a distance it looks fine.
The exterior boastsfineplasterworkalongwithunusualgreenandyellowglazeddecorative
tiles (also visible above some of the doors). Inside , the temple's entertaining murals are an
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