Nagayon Temple

Type of monument	: Type III Temple
Location	: South of Nanpaya
Region	: Myinkaba
Built by	: King Kyanzittha
Date	: 12th Century
Monument Number	: 1192
Photo Gallery	: View 7 Photos

Slightly south of Myinkaba, this elegant and well-preserved temple was built by Kyanzittha.

This is a place where the legend says that Kyanzittha was sheltered by a serpent known as while fleeing from his angry brother and predecessor Sawlu Min. Therefore during his reign over Bagan, King Kyanzittha built this temple with the name of "Nagayon" meaning "sheltered by serpent".

IMAGES INSIDE THE TEMPLE
 

Inside the temple, the main Buddha image is twice life size and shelters under the hood of a huge naga, or serpent. The outer, dark corridor has many niches with images of the earlier Buddhas. Paintings also decorate the corridor walls. The central shrine has two smaller standing Buddhas as well as the large one. The small ruined stupa of Pawdawmu Paya is located nearby.

ANCIENT MURAL PAINTINGS ON THE WALLS OF THE TEMPLE
 

 

LAYOUT PLAN

Nanpaya Temple

Type of monument	: Type III Temple (Kundaung Pauk Gu)
Location	: Close behind Manuha
Region	: Myinkaba
Built by	: King Manuha's grand-nephew, Prince Naga Thaman
Date	: 11th Century
Monument Number	: 1239

Close behind the Manuha Pagoda, there is a shrine mostly known as "Nanpaya". It is said to have been used as Manuha's prison although there is little evidence supporting the legend.

There is also another story saying that the shrine was originally Hindu. Supposedly his captors thought that using it as a prison would be easier than converting it to a Buddhist temple. But also some say that the temple was built by Manuha's grand-nephew known as Prince Naga Thaman in the late 11th century.

SANDSTONE CARVINGS INSIDE THE TEMPLE
 

It is made of sandstone masonry block facings integrated over a brick core. It is particularly fine. It consists of perforated stone windows which are typical of earlier Bagan architecture. Nanpaya is in fact Bagan's first "gu-style" (cave) shrine. It also features interesting arches over the windows.

MARVELOUS STUCCOS ON THE RIM OF THE TEMPLE
 

In the central sanctuary the four stone pillars have finely carved sandstone bas-relief figures of four-faced Brahma. The creator deity is holding lotus flowers, thought to be offerings to a free-standing Buddha image once situated in the shrine's centre, a theory that dispels the idea that this was ever a Hindu shrine. The sides of the pillars bear ogre-like heads with open mouths streaming with flowers. According to the Myanmar legend, the face of the orge represents the guardian and eats flowers instead of meat.

LAYOUT PLAN

Nathlaung Kyaung

Type of monument	: Type I Temple (Gu Paya)
Location	: West of Thabyinnyu
Region	: Old Bagan
Built by	: King Taungthugyi
Date	: A.D 931
Monument Number	: 1600
Photo Gallery	: View 5 Photos

Nathlaung Kyaung means 'Shrine Confining Nats or Spirits', a reference to a purported time when King Anawratha tried to banish Nat worship in Bagan. He is said to have confiscated all non-Buddhist religious images including indigenous Myanmar nats and Hindu devas. Then he ordered to have placed them in this shrine as part of an effort to establish 'pure' Theravada Buddhism during his reign. The king eventually gave in to the cult and standardized the current roster of principal Burmese Nats by placing 37 chosen images at Shwezigon Pagoda.

This temple is situated slightly to the west of the Thatbyinnyu, this is the only Hindu temple remaining in Bagan. It is said to have been built in 931 by King Taunghthugyi, more than a century before Theravada Buddhism came to Bagan, following the conquest of Thaton. In design it resembles the Pyu Leimyethna or four-sided shrines of Sri Keshtra.

INSIDE THE TEMPLE
 

The main hall and superstructure of the Nathlaung Kyaung still stand fine today but the entrance hall and outer structures have crumbled and disappeared.

IMAGES OF HINDU GODS INSIDE THE TEMPLE
 

The temple is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. The central square of brick supports the dome and crumbled Sikhara, and once contained free-standing figures of Vishnu as well as Vishnu reliefs on each of the four sides. Vishnu's '10 Avatars' were placed around the outside wall, seven of these survive.
 

Layout Plan

Ngakywenadaung Pagoda

Type of monument	: Type I Temple (Zedi)
Location	: West of Thabyinnyu
Region	: Old Bagan
Built by	: King Taungthugyi
Date	: 10th Century
Monument Number	: 1603

Near the Thatbyinnyu pagoda and near the Nathlaung Kyaung, there lies a 10th-century pagoda which features the bulbous shape favored by the Pyus. North of this pagoda is the Pahtotharmya temple. These cylindrical types of pagodas were found in the Sri Keshtra era.

 

Ngakywenadaung pagoda was donated by King Taungthugyi during the 10th century. It is a 13 meter high cylindrical doom type pagoda. Many of the green-glazed tiles that covered it can still be seen. There are four monuments in Bagan which are fully covered with green-glazed tiles and Ngakywenadaung Pagoda is one of them. The meaning Ngakywenadaung is "the earing of Ngakywe".

Layout Plan

 

Ngarmyethnar Temple Type of monument : Type III Temple Location : Southeast of Shwezigon Region : Nyaung U & Wetkyi-In Built by : Unknown Date : 13th Century Monument Number : 77 Ngarmyethnar Temple means "the temple with five faces". In Bagan, many temples have four faces and place four Buddha Images inside. This represents the four Buddhas Kakusandra, Gaunagamana, Kassapa and Gotama. But there are also some temples with five entrances, which represents a place for the next Buddha to be, known as the "Arimadara". There are five sitting Buddha images inside the temple, some of the images are ruined. FIVE SITTING BUDDHA IMAGES INSIDE THE TEMPLE       LAYOUT PLAN

Nwar Pya Gu Temple

Type of monument	: Type II Temple (Kundaung Pauk Gu)
Location	: West of Myinpya Gu
Region	: Old Bagan
Built by	: Nwarmyar Athinkaya
Date	: 13th Century
Monument Number	: 1498

Nwar Pya Gu Temple is a two-storey building. The lower level has two halls, the outer one is seen as soon as entered into the building, the inner hall consists of four sitting Buddha Images facing North, East, South and West. Most the stuccos are still in a good condition. On the wall inside the temple are also filled with mural paintings.

 

 

LAYOUT PLAN

 

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