Address

Bagan So-min-gyi-ok-kyaung Monastery, Myanmar

Nyaung-U,

Myanmar (Burma)

Moolavar

Buddha

Introduction

So-min-gyi-ok-kyaung Monastery (12th century) is a large, multi-celled monastery built immediately to the south of the towering So-min-gyi-hpaya stupa. It comprises a large central courtyard measuring 13.13 x 14.93 meters, around which are placed a number of thick cells that were used by monks for meditation and living space. The east side of the courtyard includes a large entrance hall, measuring 7.09 x 7.62m, including a porch. The opposite side of the courtyard is flanked by a multi-level shrine, with the ground-floor shrine measuring 2.17 x 2.59 m and covered by a barrel vault. Above, an upper-level shrine includes a small east-facing cell measuring 2.09 x 2.32 m.

The monastery’s twin shrines are in reasonable condition, but the remaining buildings have lost their roofs and portions of the walls. Although the site is mostly in ruins, it is one of the better examples in Bagan of a monastery structure, allowing the visitor to imagine how the site may have looked in its heyday.

Southeast of the site, and contained within the same perimeter wall (now largely vanished) are the twin towers designated Monuments 1148 and 1149 which are also worth a visit.