Travel Links
|
|
It was built in 1215 by King Zeya Theinkha (a) Htilo Minlo. It is in the south-east of Buphaya in Bagan.
Its structure was different, rising pyramid-like on a plinth. It was believed to be styled after a model of a zedi enshrining sacred reliccs in Majjima Desa. It was surrounded by six encircling zedis. The seven together were believed to represent the seven sacred places graced by the Buddha in Bodhagaya. The Mahabodhi takes both its name and its inspiration from the Mahabodhi temple at Bodh Gaya where grows the bodhi tree under which the Buddha gained Enlightenment. Bodha Gaya as a holy place obviously had and attraction for the men of Bagan, and the inscriptions record the King Kyansittha (1084-1113) sent a mission to Bodh Gaya to repair the Mahabodhi and that bodhi trees were planted in Bagan from seds brought from Bodha Gaya.
The Mahabodhi, built by King Htilominlo (1211-1234?), repeats the features of the original at Bodha Gaya, Essentially, the temple consists of a quadrangular block accommodating a spacious prayer hall and a sanctum at the western end. Above this rises a pyramidal spire, divided into horizontal shelves, with niches holding seated images of the Buddha. Above the spire rises a small, slim stupa. The Mahabodhi, however, is not an exact copy of the original at Bodha Gaya. The quadrangular block which forms the base of the temple rises higher in relation to the spire than at Bodha Gaya, where the base is dwarfed by the towering spire. The shape of the spire, too, is different, the slope of the Bagan spire being much sharper than that of Bodha Gaya. Reference
1. Ancient Pagodas in Myanmar Vol I , Jan 2003, by Myat Min Hlaing 2. Glimpses of Glorious Bagan, Jan 1996, by The Universities Historical Research Centre
|
