Bagan Po-daw-mu-hpaya Stupa, Myanmar

Address

Bagan Po-daw-mu-hpaya Stupa, Myanmar

Bagan – Chauk Rd, Nyaung-U,

Myanmar (Burma)

Moolavar

Buddha

Introduction

The Po-daw-mu-hpaya (11th century) is a small stupa located directly southwest of Naga-yon Hpaya. It consists of three major elements: an octagonal base, a barrel-shaped body, and a pyramidal four-sided spire. It is one of about 50 “encased” stupas found throughout the Bagan landscape. In such instances a pre-existing stupa was repurposed as the core of a new stupa, which was built around it, entombing it like a cocoon. Over the centuries, earthquakes and weathering often wore away the outer layer, revealing the otherwise protected encased stupa. At the Po-daw-mu, the remains of the outer stupa were entirely removed in 1916.

The stupa is architecturally significant as its superstructure is essentially intact, though only about 60% of its stucco coating still survives. The faceted, pyramidal form of the spire is highly atypical; the majority of spires are circular in plan and often gently taper in profile. Its shape is—probably coincidentally—similar to the spire of the Bodnath Stupa in Kathmandu.