This Gubyaukgyi-meaning “Great Painted Cave Temple” which is located in Myinkaba is to be differentiated from another temple of the same name situated near Wetkyi-in village.

The Gubyaukgyi has as its back-ground the romance of Kyansittha and Thambula. The chronicles relate that, once, fleeing from the wrath of King Anawrahta (1044-1077),  Kyansittha came to a place where lived a monk with his niece Thambula, who was fair to behold and endowed with all the signs of royalty. There he tarried until he was recalled to the court. On leaving, he gave a ring to Thambula, now heavy with child, telling her to sell the ring to nurture the child if it were a girl, but to bring the ring and the child to court if it were a boy.

Seven years passed, and Kyansittha was now king, when Thambula appeared at the court with the ring and a young boy. Kyansittha, filled with joy, made Thambula his queen and gave her the title Trilokavatamsakadevi, “Chaplet of the Three Worlds”. On the son, Rajakumar he also showered favours, although it was not Rajakumar but a grandson by a daughter whom he made Heir-Apparent.

The dedicatory inscription of the Gubyaukgyi goes on to relate the circumstances under which the temple was bult:

“After 1,628 years of the Religion, Sri Tribhuvanadityadhammaraja became King at Arimaddanapura. The King’s beloved wife was Trilokavatamsakadevi. The son of the beloved wife was Rajakumar. The King gave three villages of slaves to the beloved wife. When the beloved wife died, the King gave all her ornaments and the villages of slaves to Rajakumar.

“After ruling twenty-eight years, the King was sick and nigh unto death. Rajakumar, the son of the beloved wife, remembering the favours of the King who had nourished him, made an image of the Buddha all of gold and, dedicating it to the King, thus said,

“This golden image I make for you. The three villages of salves which you gave to me I offer to this image. Be gladsome.”

“Then the King was joyful and said, ‘Kaung hlein tay, kaung hlein tay-Well done! Well done!’”

Rajakumar Incription

The Gubyaukgyi which was built to enshrine the golden image, is affine temple in the Early Style, square, with a vestibule in the east. Above the main block rise sloping roofs and terraces, while the curvilinear spire which surmounts them has sharply defined horizontal shelves and a lancet on each side with three niches.

The exterior of the temple is decorated with exquisite stucco carvings on the frieze, dado, window pediments and pilasters. Inside, a vaulted corridor runs around a sanctum, dimly lit by perforated windows with geometrical designs. Niches in the corridor hold stone images of the Buddha.

The Gubyaukgyi is also noted for the paintings which cover the walls of the vestibule, the corridor and the sanctum. These paintings are among the earliest now extent in Bagan. In the vestibule are scenes portraying the celestial mansions described in the Vimana Vatthu, a collection of stories about those who have attained the celestial realms through their acts of merit, while in the main block are scenes from the Jatakas, arranged in nine rows, each scene having a legent in Mon. The inner wall of the entrance to the shrine has also one of the most popular scenes in the Life of the Buddha-the Descent from Tavatimsa, the celestial abode, with Buddha flanked on his right by Thagya (that is, Indra), and on his left by Brahma holding an umbrella.

There are two identical texts of the dedicatory inscription, one of which is damaged. Sometimes referred to as the Myazedi inscription because it was first  found near the adjoining Myazedi pagoda, the inscription is in Mon, Myanmar, Pyu and Pali, and is one of the earliest inscriptions in Myanmar. It is also the lengthiest inscription in Pyu and provided the means for the decipherment of Pyu, a work started by Dr. Blagden in 1911.


Reference
1. Glimpses of Glorious Bagan, Jan 1996, by The Universities Historical Research Centre