Page 221 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

BAGAN BAGAN AND AROUND 219
by a minister of King Htilominlo. The intricately designed shrine features a mass of 5
decorative pediments, miniature corner-stupas and moulded terraces, with a fine shikhara
above. Inside, the light, airy interior is brightly decorated, with many mosaic-pattern
black and gold Buddhas in the four porches and colourful, engagingly naïve-style murals
on the interior walls and central cube, quite different from those at other temples nearby.

Myinkaba to New Bagan
The monuments stretching south of Old Bagan through the village of MYINKABA and
on into NEW BAGAN are a bit of a mishmash, lacking the stellar attractions of other
parts of Bagan but offering an interesting cross section of Bagan architecture through
the ages. They include the small but architecturally significant shrines of Nanpaya and
Apeyadana Paya, as well as the majestic Mingalazedi.

Mingalazedi
• Bagan–Chauk Rd, just south of Old Bagan • Daily 8am–6pm
Just south of the Old Bagan city walls, the Mingalazedi (“Blessing Stupa”) was built
during the reign of King Narathihapate (ruled 1256–87) – the last major monument
to be constructed in Bagan before the Mongol incursions of 1287 sent the kingdom
plummeting into decline. One of the finest of all Bagan’s late-style stupas, the
Mingalazedi is reminiscent in outline of the famous Shwedagon in Yangon, whose
proportions it is said to have copied. Fine glazed tiles depicting Jataka scenes are
displayed around the base of the stupa (there were originally 1061, of which 561
remain), while staircases (now closed) lead up through three terraces, their corners
decorated with Indian-style kalasa (nectar pots).
The stupa’s creator, Narathihapate, is remembered chiefly for his notorious gluttony
(three hundred dishes per meal were considered obligatory) and for his subsequent
headlong flight from the invading Mongols, which earned him the sobriquet of
Tayok-pyay-min, roughly translated as “The King who ran away from the Chinese”.

Gubyaukgyi Paya (Myinkaba)
• Bagan–Chauk Rd • Daily 8am–6pm • To reach it, turn left on the road downhill just at the beginning of
Myinkaba village (if you reach the Sar Pi Thar restaurant you’ve gone too far) – it’s directly in front of the Myazedi, easily spotted thanks
to its distinctive gilded stupa
Colourful murals – some of the oldest in Bagan – can be found at the small but florid
Gubyaukgyi Paya (not to be confused with the identically named temple in Wet Kyi
Inn), built around 1113 by Prince Rajakumar (aka Yazakumar), a son of King
Kyansittha, in honour of his recently deceased father. The temple also offers an
intriguing snapshot of Bagan architecture in evolution. Early-period hallmarks – the
low-set, single-storey structure with an interior kept deliberately dark thanks to the
almost completely bricked-up windows (carved here into unusual geometrical designs)
– dominate, although there are hints of the emerging late-period style in the large
shikhara and small rooftop shrine; the latter would subsequently develop into the fully
fledged second storey characteristic of Bagan’s later “double-cube” temples.
The exterior features some exceptionally fine stuccowork and carving, particularly
around the elaborate window frames and pediments. Not much light gets into the
gloomy interior. The best paintings – showing various Jataka scenes captioned in Mon
– are in the ambulatory around the shrine, although it’s very dark and you won’t see
anything without a torch.
Myazedi
• Bagan–Chauk Rd • Daily 8am–6pm
Immediately behind the Gubyaukgyi stands the contrasting Myazedi (“Jade Stupa”),
centred on a large, brilliantly gilded stupa. A busy, modern, working temple, it’s of