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It is the biggest, most well-known of all in Myinkaba Village. In 1059, captive king Manuha under king Anawrahta sold a jewel of his and built this pagoda.
On the upper terrace are 37 small stupas. Inside is a Buddha statue in Bhumi Phassa Mudra, flanked by two smaller statues on its sides. At the back is a reclining statue of Buddha at Parinibbana. The statue inside nearly fills the cavity. The bowl in front is equally big. The statue in a tight situation in the cave was taken to mean the captive king's predicament. This temple is attributed to Manuha, the King of Thaton, who was brought to exile in Bagan after Anawrahta’s conquest of Thaton. The chronicles relate that whenever Manuha spoke, a radiance issued from his mouth, but that Anawrahta contrived to demean Manuha’s glory and power so that the radiance vanished. Filled with remorse, Manuha made images of the Buddha, built a temple to house them, and prayed, “Whither-soever I migrate in samsara, may I never be conquered by another!”
The Manuha is not a very distinguished structure, being in the form of a reduplicated square, with the upper storey smaller than the lower. The huge images seem to crowd the temple. Three seated images of the Buddha, with the right hand in the gesture of touching the earth, face towards the east. In an adjoining chamber is another large image of the Buddha, reclining on his right side with his head pointed towards the north, in the position of Parinibbana, the Decease. Nanpaya Temple There are two versions of the tradition concerning the Nanpaya, the “Palace Temple”. One has it that Manuha, the deposed king of Thaton, used it as his residence during his years of exile in Bagan. The other says that it was built on the site of Manuha’s residence by a descendant in the reign of Narapatisithu (1174-1211) Stylistically, the Nanpaya belongs to the 11th century rather than to the 12th, being a fine representative of the “hollow square” type to temple in the Early Style. Square in plan, with the vestibule in the east, it is built of brick and surfaced with stone. The perforated windows have arch pediments which, together with the carvings of the frieze, provide examples of the stonework of the period. The interior is lighted by the perforated windows as well as by dormer windows above. In the centre is a small, square pedestal. Perhaps it once supported a standing image of the Buddha, or four images of the Buddha seated back to back, but nothing now remains. There are also four square stone pillars supporting the superstructure. Two sides of the pillars have pendant floral designs while the other two have a figure of Brahma seated on a lotus flower in the position of royal ease with the right knee slightly raised, the hands holding aloft lotus flowers. On the head is an elaborate head-dress. Three of the four faces are visible and the features are Mongoloid. Brahma and Indra (known as Thagya in Myanmar) are two Hindu deities who have become part of the Buddhist tradition and are mentioned in the Jatakas. In portrayals of Buddha’s Descent from Travatimsa, the celestial abode, the Buddha is often shown flanked by Thagya in a tall head-dress on his right, and by Brahma holding an umbrella on his left. The reliefs here may therefore be taken to represent Brahma attending upon the Buddha. 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
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