Bawbawgyi Pagoda Buddhist Stupa- Myanmar (Burma)

Address

Bawbawgyi Pagoda Buddhist Stupa Pyay, Myanmar (Burma)

Diety

Buddha

Introduction

Bawbawgyi Stupa is a Buddhist stupa and one of the oldest Buddhist structures in the history of ancient edifices in Myanmar. It located in the Sri Ksetra Archaeological Zone north of the city of Pyay. The stupa was constructed during the Pyu period is in excellent structural condition, having miraculously survived a number of major earthquakes over the preceding centuries. The history of this stupa is unknown since there were no stone inscription was found.

Puranic Significance

The Bawbawgyi Paya is the ruin of the old Pyu kingdom of Sri Ksetra. Of uncertain age, it was likely built between the 6th and the 7th centuries when the Pyu people commanded the circular city immediately to the north. Despite its antiquity, the pagoda is in excellent structural condition, having miraculously survived a number of major earthquakes over the preceding centuries. The stupa is circular in plan, standing on a five-tiered circular base that was only recently excavated (several of the terraces were buried under debris over the centuries). The cylindrical body rises 46 meters inclusive of its cone-shaped cap. The topmost point is crowned with a metal of modern vintage. The unusual profile of the pagoda is probably derived from prototypes in Northern India such as the Dharmakh Stupa, a monument contemporary with the Bawbawgyi which still stands 1,500 kilometers to the northwest.