Bagan Zanthi West Temple, Myanmar

Address

Bagan Zanthi West Temple, Myanmar

Bagan, Nyaung-U,

Myanmar (Burma)

Moolavar

Buddha

Introduction

Zanthi West Temple, classified as Monument No. 557, is located in a field south of Minnanthu village. It is called Zanthi West to distinguish it from its smaller cousin, Monument No. 558, informally dubbed Zanthi East.

Puranic Significance

The temple is cruciform in plan is almost perfectly square, measuring about 17.6 x 17.6 meters with an internal solid core 4.9 x 5.0 meters in area. The vaulted ambulatory is about 1.8 meters wide and includes pedestals for four seated Buddha images facing the cardinal directions. A stone slab in the east chamber includes Burmese text recording the dedication of the temple and surrounding monasteries, allowing precise dating of the site to 1233-66 which corresponds to the rule of Narathihapate (r. 1256-87), the last king of the Bagan Empire.

The exterior of the temple is in an uneven state of preservation with considerable weathering on the east facade while the west face is, in places, almost pristine. The interior surfaces retain about 60 to 70% of their original mural paintings though these are difficult to observe as the temple is ordinarily kept locked with a modern iron gate added to the east entrance. The remaining three entrances have been partially bricked up with grilles to prevent unauthorized access.