Thatbyinyu Temple

Location: in the old town of Bagan.
Ticket: covered in the through ticket of Bagan Pass which charges US$15.

Built in 1144 in the middle of the pagoda group of Bagan, Thatbyinyu Temple is the highest Buddhism pagoda in Bagan with a height of 66 meters. Sponsored by King Alaungsithu (1113-1163) and built for nearly 50 years, the grey pagoda is an important landmark of Bagan pagodas with famous stone carvings of Pqli eulogium on the wall.

Thatbyinyu, means Prajna, or the great wisdom of Buddha. Differs from Ananda Pahto, Thatbyinyu Temple is not a quadrate shape but with ledge on its eastern part, which broke the traditional symmetric pattern of pagoda shape. This kind of shape was widely imitated by subsequent pagodas such as Sulamani Pahto and Gawdawpalin Pahto.

The entire pagoda is divided into two storeys, each with three-storey stupas gradually minishing storey by storey. On the top is a high golden stupa, and in the interior of the pagoda, there are five floors; the first and second for monks, the third for meditation, the fourth is a library and the fifth reserves for the Buddha statue.

The stairway is equipped inside the pagoda for ascending. On the top of the pagoda, a grand panoramic sight is attainable especially in the early morning or at dusk: the Irrawaddy River surging with great waves, thousands of Buddhism pagodas standing out from green trees just like mysterious palaces and castles. Whenever the sun sets, the pagodas of diversified shapes scattered with blazing color under the sunset glow contributes to a surpassingly beautiful picture.