Bagan Temple – 474 Stupa – Myanmar

Address

Bagan Temple – 474 Stupa – Myanmar

Nyaung-U, Bagan,

Myanmar (Burma)

Moolavar

Buddha

Introduction

Monument 474 (built c. 13th century), this small monument stands just to the northeast of the far larger Le-myet-hna temple complex in southeast Bagan. It is one of a number of small temples dotting the countryside to the north of Minnanthu village, standing just to the east of the road connecting Minnanthu to the Paya-thon-zu temple complex.

The temple is quite small, measuring just 5 meters in diameter. Resembling a stupa from the outside, it comprises a circular masonry base topped with a hemispherical dome, capped by a square crowning block and a newly rebuilt spire. A small antechamber on the west side leads to the interior shrine which is occupied by a (reconstructed) seated Buddha figure in the ‘subduing Mara’ posture with the right hand pointed toward the earth and the left facing upward. In 1993 the architectural historian Pierre Pichard noted that between 2 and 4% of the original interior mural paintings survived, but no recognizable traces were visible at the time of the author’s visit in 2017.

The main attraction of the site is the well-preserved band of stucco panels running around the base, depicting a series of animals, human figures, and images of the Buddha. Rectangular dados incised with triangles are also present at the base of the hemisphere, along with other stucco decorative treatment.