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 The Gawdawpalin was built by King Narapatisithu (1174-1211) after the Sulamani, and tradition provides an explanation for the name, “Throne of Obeisance”, in relation to the building of the Sulamani. It is said that when Narapatisithu built the Sulamani he caused such hardship that the Venerable Panthagu, saying, “O King, the work you do is not one of merit but of demerit”, went away from Bagan. But after much entreaty Panthagu returned, and Narapatisithu, placing him on a throne paid him obeisance, the place becoming the site of the Gawdawpalin. Tradition furthermore has it that this was also the site where King Alaungsithu (1113-1163), in order to recover the sight which he had lost by boasting, “Surely my ancestors were not so great, so glorious, so powerful as I!”, made obeisance to the golden images of the 44 Kings of Bagan from Thamoddarit onwards. The Gawdawpalin was left unfinished by Narapatisithu and completed by his son, King Htilominlo (1211-1234?). It suffered heavy damage in the earthquake of 1975 but has been repaired. Much like Sulamani, the Gawdawpalin is a double-storeyed temple in the Late Style. It is square in plan, with porticoes on all four sides, but with the estern portico projecting further than the others. Each of the two storeys is surmounted by three receding terraces which are ornamented with crenellated parapets and corner stupas. A curvilinear spire rises above the upper terraces and is crowned by a slim, tapering stupa which gives the temple a height of 180 feet. In the ground storey, a vaulted corridor runs around a central block against whose four sides are placed images of the Buddha. A narrow flight of stairs built into the thickness of the walls provides access to the upper storey where there is another seated image of the Buddha, facing east. Reference 1. Glimpses of Glorious Bagan, Jan 1996, by The Universities Historical Research Centre |
