4/5 Big S. 5 years ago on Google • 240 reviews
The
Gubyaukgyi
temple
near
Wetkyi-in
village
North
East
of
old
Bagan
was
built
by
King
Kyanzittha
in
the
early
12th
century.
During
his
reign
the
empire
saw
prosperity
and
the
construction
of
grand
temples
like
the
Ananda
and
the
Myazedi
pagoda.
The
Gubyaukgyi’s
architecture
shows
Indian
influence,
particularly
the
spire
which
resembles
that
of
another
temple
in
Bagan,
the
Mahabodhi.
Both
are
based
on
the
Mahabodhi
temple
of
Bodh
Gaya
in
India,
the
place
where
the
Buddha
reached
enlightenment
some
2,500
years
ago.
The
Gubyaukgyi
is
a
cave
temple;
the
first
syllable
of
the
temple’s
name
(“gu”)
translates
to
“cave”.
The
interior
walls
and
ceilings
are
decorated
with
fragments
of
ancient
mural
paintings
that
depict
scenes
from
the
Jataka
tales,
the
stories
that
tell
about
the
previous
lives
of
the
Buddha.
The
temple
is
oriented
towards
the
East,
where
an
antechamber
containing
the
entrance
protrudes
from
the
structure.
On
the
other
three
sides
are
false
entrances
in
which
large
stone
perforated
windows
are
fitted.
The
exterior
walls
were
plastered
with
stucco.
Some
of
the
fine
stucco
decoration
is
still
intact,
especially
on
the
Eastern
wall
and
the
main
entrance
porch.
The
Gubyaukgyi
temple
is
topped
with
a
spire.
Unlike
those
of
most
temples
and
pagodas
in
Bagan
its
design
is
not
bell
shaped
or
cylindrical;
its
four
sides
are
straight
and
diminishing
in
size
towards
the
top.
The
temple’s
interior
is
lit
by
daylight
that
comes
in
through
large
perforated
stone
windows.
The
first
room
from
the
Eastern
entrance
contains
a
large
Buddha
image
seated
on
a
high
pedestal.
The
brick,
plastered
image
is
in
the
“Calling
the
Earth
to
witness”
posture.
The
wall
behind
the
image
and
the
ceiling
above
contain
well
preserved
murals
with
Buddhist
depictions.
The
other
rooms
contain
smaller
images
of
the
Buddha.
On
the
North
and
South
wall
of
the
Gubyaukgyi
are
murals
depicting
the
28
Buddhas
mentioned
in
the
Tripitaka,
the
ancient
Buddhist
manuscripts
that
contain
the
teachings
of
the
Buddha.
Photography
inside
the
temple
is
not
allowed,
as
the
flash
light
would
damage
the
ancient
murals.
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