Mahabodhi Paya (c. 1250)  other sites in Bagan

Bagan, Myanmar

                                        
Click on an image to enlarge

The Mahabohdi temple, erected during the reign of Nadaungmya (r. 1211-1234), is modeled after the temple of the same name in Bodhgaya, India.  The original Mahabodhi had been erected on the place where Siddhartha first attained supreme enlightenment in the 6th century BC.  It is a 140 foot high brick and whitewashed stucco structure characterized by a large square pyramidal tower and topped by a conical spire and umbrella. Similar Bagan-era structures may be seen at Salé, about 20 miles south of Bagan on the Ayeyarwady; there is also a small copy on the terrace of the Shwedagon (soon to be added to this site) in Yangon.

In addition to its pyramidal tower set on a quadrilateral base, the Mahabodhi is almost unique among Bagan structures because its extensive exterior ornamentation.  Its numerous niches enclose over 450 Buddha images not only on the tower but also on the corner stupas and to a lesser extent on the exterior walls of the two story base.

The Mahabodhi was badly damaged by the 1975 earthquake.  It was repaired between 1976 and 1979 and strengthened in 1991-1992. Unfortunately, because of a variety of problems, this writer has only a few images of the Mahabodhi.  This may justify a return trip to the area (with over 2,000 monuments in the area, there would be numerous other reasons). The few included suggest the richness of this massive and unique structure that mirror the Buddhist roots in northern India.

This is Bagan Monument number 1670

Also, compare this temple to these other 'Bodhgaya-style' temples:

• Mahabodhi Temple, Bodhgaya, India (the prototype)
• Mahabuddha Temple, Patan, Nepal
• Chet Yot Temple, Chiang Mai, Thailand
• Wat Phra That Nong Bua, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand

Bibliography:

Images 1,2, & 6 copyright 2002 Professor Robert D. Fiala of Concordia University, Nebraska, USA

All other images copyright 2003 Professor Yunsheng Huang of the University of Virginia

Clark, Michael and Joe Cummings, Myanmar (Burma).
7th ed.  Melbourne: Lonely Planet Publications, 2000.

Francis Doral, et al.  Insight Guide Burma Myanmar.  8th ed.
Singapore:  APA Publications, 2000.

Pichard, Pierre. Inventory of Monuments at Pagan, vol. 6,
Monuments [numbered] 1440-1736.  Kiscadale EFEO
UNESCO, 2000.

Strachan, Paul.  Pagan:  Art and Architecture of Old Burma.
2nd UK ed.  Scotland: Kiscadale Publications, 1996.

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