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small, square monastery platform, constructedin 1174 by Narapatisithu. It’s about219yd south of Gawdawpalin, on the otherside of the road. In front of the monastery isa brick-and-stucco Tripitaka library next to alarge acacia tree. Atop the steps, a tiered roof(with a newer gold-capped hti, an umbrellalikedecorated pinnacle) contains a largesitting buddha. Archaeologists discoveredan intricately carved 2.5in votive tablet herethat contained 78 sculpted figures.PahtothamyaBUDDHIST TEMPLEpuqiu"s;"mY;"On the dirt road 160yd east towards thedominating Thatbyinnyu, the Pahtothamya(or Thamya Pahto) was probably built duringthe reign of Kyanzittha, around the turn ofthe 12th century, although it is popularly heldto be one of five temples built by the littleknownking Taunghthugyi (aka Sawrahan;r 931–64). The interior of this single-storeybuilding is dimly lit, typical of the early typeof Pyu-influenced temples, with their small,perforated stone windows. In its prominentvertical superstructure and reconstructedlotus-bud sikhara (corncob-like temple finial),however, the monument is clearly beginningto move forward from the early period.With a torch you can pick out super paintingremnants along the interior passages, perhapsthe earliest surviving murals in Bagan.Steps lead up to a roomy viewing platform.Nathlaung KyaungHINDU TEMPLEnt'elH;='ekY;='"Between Pahtothamya and Thatbyinnyu,this stubby building – the only Hindu templeremaining in Bagan – has a fascinatinghistory. Named ‘Shrine Confining Nat’, it’swhere King Anawrahta stored non-Buddhistimages, particularly ones for local nat, as hetried to enforce Buddhism. The king himselfdescribed the temple as ‘where the nat arekept prisoner’. Severely damaged in the 1975earthquake, only the temple’s main hall andsuperstructure (with seven original Guptastylereliefs) still stand.A sign dates it to the early 11th century.Some say it was built in 931 by Taunghthugyi;if true, this was about a century beforethe southern school of Buddhism came toBagan. The temple is dedicated to the Hindugod Vishnu.The central square of brick supports thedome and crumbled sikhara, and once containedfreestanding figures of Vishnu, as wellas Vishnu reliefs on each of the four sides.TAN KYI PAYAFrom the Old Bagan jetty you can hirea private boat to reach Tan Kyi village,where you can arrange a taxi ride (orhike) up to Tan Kyi Paya , the goldstupa atop the mountain, visible frommuch of Bagan. Views are terrific andunique, looking back over the river toBagan’s mighty sprawl. A ride for threeor four people, including wait time, isabout K15,000. You’ll need three or fourhours for the trip.The statues were stolen by a German oil engineerin the 1890s, but the badly damagedbrick-and-stucco reliefs can still be seen.Thatbyinnyu PahtoBUDDHIST TEMPLEsbºMupuqiu"Named for ‘omniscience’, Bagan’s highesttemple (about 160yd east of Nathlaung and220yd south of Shwegugyi) is built of twowhite-coloured boxy storeys, each with threediminishing terraces rimmed with spiresand leading to a gold-tipped sikhara, 207ftup. Its monumental size and verticalitymake it a classic example of Bagan’s middleperiod – and neatly provide a chronologicallink between early-period Ananda and lateperiodGawdawpalin, both nearby. Built in1144 by Alaungsithu, its terraces are encircledby indentations for 539 Jataka. Plaqueswere never added, leading some scholarsto surmise that the monument was neverconsecrated.Visitors are barred from climbing Thatbyinnyu’sinner passages. There are some originalmurals near the west entrance.A couple of hundred yards south you canclimb up on the southeastern corner of theold city wall. The small ‘tally zedi (stupa)’just northeast of Thatbyinnyu Pahto wasbuilt using one brick for every 10,000 usedin constructing the main temple.ShwegugyiBUDDHIST TEMPLEerágUäkI"Built by Alaungsithu in 1131, this smaller butelegant pahto, 220yd north of Thatbyinnyu,is an example of Bagan’s middle period oftemple-building, a transition in architecturalstyle from the dark and cloistered tothe airy and light. Its name means ‘GreatGolden Cave’ and its corncob sikhara is ascaled-down version of the one at Ananda.155THE TEMPLES TEMPLESOF BAGAN OLD BAGAN