Bebe Paya Buddhist Temple- Myanmar (Burma)

Address

Bebe Paya Buddhist Temple- Pyay-Aunglan Road, Pyay, Myanmar (Burma)

Diety

Buddha

Introduction

Bebe temple is the Buddhist temple of the rectangular-type temples in Pyay, Myanmar (Burma). Unlike the others, it retains its superstructure which appears in the form of a tapering brick cylinder. According to historian Elizabeth Moore, the tower may have once been more “angular” in a manner similar to the shikhara type in north India. The temple sits on a low hill which may have afforded it some protection from floods and heavy rainfall. Its form is a cube measuring 4.8 x 5 meters with an east-facing entrance and three false entrances on each of the other sides.

Puranic Significance

As with other sites in Sri Ksetra in Pyay, the dating of the site is controversial. Traditionally the temple is believed to have been built in the 7th century, though the only evidence for this is a 2.5 meter stone slab found in the interior that depicts the Buddha flanked by two disciples—a piece stylistically identical to those produced in the 7th century. An alternative interpretation is that the temple was built as late as the 13th century during the Bagan era with architects repurposing the 7th century Pyu-era slab from another site that no longer exists. The Bebe Paya temple is quite close to the Bawbawgyi Paya which stands just 320 meters to the west. It is also only 290 meters from the Leimyethna Paya to the east, suggesting this area was a significant focus of religious construction.