Photo Gallery

Dhammayangyi Temple (built c. 1165?)

The Dhammayangyi (or Dhamma-yan-gyi) Pahto, extending approximately 255 feet on each of its four sides, is Bagan’s most massive shrine. There is considerable controversy over the identity of the builder and the construction of the building itself. It probably was built by King Narathu (1167?-1170?) over a three year period to atone for his wicked rule. Yet some have attributed it to Narathu’s father and predecessor, Sithu I, who also built Thatbyinnyu. Legend suggests that Narathu met his end in a series of morbid events shortly after acceding to the throne. He had smothered his father and, shortly thereafter, his brother. After he had one of his wives (a former Indian princess and one of the wives of his father) executed for her Hindu hygienic rituals, he was assassinated by eight men, disguised as Brahmin priests, sent by the princess’ father. Others, however, have suggested that his death came at the hands of a Ceylonese mission that not only killed the king but sacked the city and introduced Ceylonese influence into the architectural spirit of Bagan.

The Dhammayangyi, similar in its ground plan similar to the Greek Cross of the earlier Ananda Pahto, is a very large square single story pyramidal temple with six monumental ascending exterior terraces. Oriented toward the east, the Dhammayangyi’s brickwork is finely crafted—perhaps it is the finest in Bagan. (Narathu reportedly would execute masons if he could stick a pin between the bricks). Because of the death of the builder, perhaps, the temple was never finished. There is, however, another mysterious element to the temple, in addition to the identity of its builder. There are two inner ambulatories around a solid square central core that is approximately 82 feet on each side.. Almost all of the inner ambulatory passages were filled with rubble, probably from around the time of its construction. Some suggest that if Narathu was the builder, workers stopped building at the time of his death and perhaps even filled in the inner ambulatory out of spite. The Dhammayangyi remains one of the most unique and intriguing constructs on the Bagan plain.

Bagan Monument Number 771

Text by Robert D. Fiala, Concordia University, Nebraska