lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

that temple styles changed in Bagan becausethe builders improved at arch construction(for more information, see p 157 ).Myinkaba Area¨m='kp:The sites north and south of Myinkaba villageare all just off the main road and areeasy to access. These are listed in order fromnorth to south.Mingalazedi PayaBUDDHIST TEMPLEmg¿l;ectIClose to the riverbank, towards Myinkabafrom the Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel, MingalazediPaya (Blessing Stupa) representsthe final flowering of Bagan’s architecturaloutburst, as displayed in its enormous belllikedome and the beautiful glazed Jatakatiles around each terrace. Although manyof the 1061 original tiles have been damagedor stolen, there are still 561 left. Thesmaller square building in the zedi groundsis one of the few Tripitaka libraries madeof brick.GubyaukgyiBUDDHIST TEMPLEgUe¨p;k'äkI"Situated just to the left of the road as youenter Myinkaba, Gubyaukgyi (Great PaintedCave Temple) sees a lot of visitors who aredrawn by the well-preserved, richly colouredpaintings inside. These are thought to datefrom the temple’s original construction in1113, when Kyanzittha’s son Rajakumar builtit following his father’s death. In Indianstyle, the monument consists of a large vestibuleattached to a smaller antechamber.The fine stuccowork on its exterior walls isin particularly good condition.Perforated, Pyu-style windows meanyou’ll need a powerful torch to see the ceilingpaintings clearly. If it’s locked during offseason,ask in the village for the keyholder.Next to the monument stands the gildedMyazedi (Emerald Stupa). A four-sided pillarin a cage between the two monumentsbears an inscription consecrating Gubyaukgyiand written in four languages – Pyu,Mon, Old Burmese and Pali. Its linguisticand historical significance is great, since itestablishes the Pyu as an important culturalinfluence in early Bagan and relates thechronology of the Bagan kings as well as actingas a ‘Rosetta Stone’ to allow scholars todecypher the Pyu.Manuha PayaBUDDHIST TEMPLEmNUh;.ur;"In Myinkaba village, about a third of a milesouth of Gubyaukgyi, stands this active –and rather modern-looking, even though itdates back to 1059 – pagoda. It is named afterManuha, the Mon king from Thaton, whowas held captive here by King Anawrahta.In the front of the building are three seatedbuddhas; in the back is a huge recliningbuddha. All seem too large for their enclosures– supposedly representing the stressand discomfort the king had to endure. However,these features are not unique in Bagan.It is said that only the reclining buddha, inthe act of entering parinibbana (final passingaway), has a smile on its face, showing thatfor Manuha, only death was a release from hissuffering. But if you climb to the top of thispaya via the stairs in the back (ask for keys ifit’s locked), you can see the face of the sittingbuddha through a window – from up hereyou’ll realise that the gigantic face, so grimfrom below, has an equally gigantic smile.Nan PayaBUDDHIST TEMPLEnn'".ur;"Just south of Manuha Paya by dirt road, thisshrine is said to have been used as Manuha’sprison, although there is little evidence supportingthe legend. In this story the shrinewas originally Hindu, and captors thoughtusing it as a prison would be easier thanconverting it to a Buddhist temple. It’s worthvisiting for its interior masonry work – sandstoneblock facings over a brick core, certainlysome of Bagan’s finest detailed sculpture.Perforated stone windows are typical of earlierBagan architecture – in fact it was probablyBagan’s first gu-style shrine.In the central sanctuary the four stonepillars have finely carved sandstone bas-relieffigures of three-faced Brahma. The creatordeity is holding lotus flowers, thoughtto be offerings to a freestanding buddhaimage once situated in the shrine’s centre,a theory that dispels the idea that this wasever a Hindu shrine. The sides of the pillarsfeature ogre-like kala-ate heads with openmouths streaming with flowers. Legendgoes that Shiva employed these creaturesof Hindu legend to protect temples, butthey proved too ferocious so Shiva trickedthem into eating their bodies, then fed themflowers to keep their minds off snacking onworshippers. In the centre of the four pillarsis an altar on which once stood a standing161THE TEMPLES TEMPLESOF BAGAN MYINKABA AREA