Dhammayangyi Temple Bagan

Southeast Asia Tour 2015

Bagan | Myanmar

01 Dec 2015 | Tue

Day 13 of 46

Drive to Mount Popa | Our Car Broke Down
Roadside Palm Sugar Demonstration Farm and Distillery Mount Popa
What is Distilled Palm Toddy Wine and How it is Made in Myanmar
Mount Popa Bagan
Mount Popa Local Market
Dhammayangyi Temple Bagan
Colorful Ox Carts Bagan
Visited Renovated Temple
Our Second Sunset in Bagan
Star Beam Bistro Bagan

Dhammayangyi Temple Bagan

The Dhammayangyi Temple located in the historical city of Bagan is one of Myanmar’s most impressive monuments. Built by King Narathu in 1167, this sandstone temple stands as a testament to the ancient kingdom and its power. It is considered to be the largest and most substantial temple in Bagan, and its four brick walls are decorated with intricate stucco carvings.

The four sides of the upper terrace feature a series of large arched windows that were designed to let light into the inner sanctum. The main entrance to the temple faces east, leading into an elaborately decorated vestibule on each side.

Inside, there are three concentric square courtyards surrounded by galleries featuring stunningly detailed murals depicting scenes from mythology and Buddhist literature.

Dhammayangyi Temple (Burmese: ဓမ္မရံကြီးဘုရား, pronounced [dəma̰jàɰ̃dʑí pʰəjá]) is a Buddhist temple located in Bagan, Myanmar. Largest of all the temples in Bagan, the Dhammayan as it is popularly known was built during the reign of King Narathu (1167-1170). Narathu, who came to the throne by assassinating his father Alaungsithu and his elder brother, presumably built this largest temple to atone for his sins.

The Dhammayangyi is the widest temple in Bagan, and is built in a plan similar to that of Ananda Temple. Burmese chronicles state that while the construction of the temple was in the process, the king was assassinated by some Indians and thus the temple was not completed. Sinhalese sources however indicate that the king was killed by Sinhalese invaders.

The temple’s interior is bricked up for unknown reasons, thus only the four porches and the outer corridors are accessible.

– Wikipedia Dhammayangyi Temple Bagan