Bagan Paya-thon-zu Temple, Myanmar

Address

Bagan Paya-thon-zu Temple, Myanmar

Paya Thone Zu, Nyaungu,

Myanmar (Burma)

Moolavar

Buddha

Introduction

Paya-thonzu Temple (2nd half of 13th century) The Paya-thon-zu, whose name means “Temple of the Three Buddhas”, is the only triple-monument at Bagan with interconnected shrine corridors. Built in the second half of the 13th century, it stands 500 meters north of Minnathu village in southeast Bagan, and about 250 meters northeast of the whitewashed Le-myet-hna temple.

Puranic Significance

The temple faces north and is built upon a level, unadorned plinth of bricks. The design of the three shrines are typical of late-13th century Bagan, each comprising a central hollow core, a projecting antechamber, a prominent arched entrance, side chambers, and a gently tapering sikharaon the roof. While it was fairly common for multiple gu or cave-type temples to be placed side-by-side (e.g., Monuments 1148-49), this is the only instance in Bagan where three were placed in a row and connected with adjoining passageways. Strachan notes that “If the temple’s overall design is unprecedented at Pagan, it is also a remarkably successful attempt at architectural innovation”. He suggests the “successful” work at Paya-thon-zu was probably the result of earlier experimentation; e.g., the Penantha group (monuments 1481-85) in which three similar-sized temples were placed in a rough line. However, at that site (possibly dating to the 1260s), the three monuments are not precisely aligned, and only two are physically connected, leading to an awkward overall impression.

An Incomplete Temple

For reasons that are not clear, the Paya-thonzu was never completed. At first glance this is hard to discern as the exterior features and stucco were fully implemented, but the interior series of mural paintings was left in an incomplete state. However, this provides a valuable record for archeologists as it provides a snapshot of work interrupted in media res. Stadtner notes that the central and east temples are filled with murals, whereas those in the west temple were never started, nor were the ones in the entrance hall of the central temple. The unfinished pieces help clarify that the ancient artists first whitewashed the walls then divided them into grids. After penciling in the outlines of each painting, these light lines were bolded with black paint. At the same time, the artists filled in the backgrounds, and then later moved on to fine details of faces, clothing, and accessories. The interruption of the work when the temple was so near completion is puzzling. From the perspective of timing, it is tempting to imagine that the Mongol invasions of 1277-1301 may have lead to a hasty abandonment of work. However, Strachan is dismissive of this theory, noting that “…the Mongol incursion does not appear to have dramatically interrupted the life, artistic or otherwise, of Pagan” (Strachan, p. 129). This assertion is backed up by recent research, which suggests that the Mongol armies never approached closer than 160 kilometers from the city as they were held at bay by Burmese forces. Still, it is easy to imagine that the advent of the Mongols may have caused a temporary interruption in work that became permanent as the empire disintegrated following the jockeying for power and breakdown of authority that accompanied the invasions.