The Hsinbyume Pagoda ( ), also known as Myatheindan Pagoda ( ), is a large pagoda on the northern side of

Mingun Mingun ( ) is a village tract in Sagaing Township of Sagaing Region, north-west Myanmar, located 11 km up the Ayeyarwady River on the west bank from Mandalay. Its main attraction is the ruined Mingun Pahtodawgyi. Mingun Pahtodawgyi The Min ...

Sagaing Region Sagaing Region (, ; formerly Sagaing Division) is an administrative divisions of Myanmar, administrative region of Myanmar, located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and longitude 94° 97' east. It is border ...

in Myanmar, on the western bank of the

Irrawaddy River The Irrawaddy River (, , Ayeyarwady) is the principal river of Myanmar, running through the centre of the country. Myanmar’s most important commercial waterway, it is about 1,350 miles (2,170 km) long. Originating from the confluence of the ...

. It is approximately northwest of

Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553. Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...

and is located in the proximity of the

Mingun Pahtodawgyi The Mingun Pahtodawgyi ( my-Mymr, မင်းကွန်းပုထိုးတော်ကြီး, ) is an incomplete monument stupa in Mingun, approximately northwest of Mandalay in Sagaing Region in central Myanmar (formerly Burma). The ...

. The pagoda is painted white and is modelled on the physical description of the Buddhist sacred mountain,

Mount Meru Mount Meru (Sanskrit/Pali: मेरु)—also known as Sumeru, Sineru or Mahāmeru—is a sacred, five-peaked mountain present within Hindu, Jain and Buddhist cosmologies, revered as the centre of all physical, metaphysical and spiritua ...

Construction

The pagoda was built in 1816 by

Bagyidaw Bagyidaw (, ; also known as Sagaing Min, ; 23 July 1784 – 15 October 1846) was the seventh king of the Konbaung dynasty of Burma from 1819 until his abdication in 1837. Prince of Sagaing, as he was commonly known in his day, was selected as cr ...

. It is dedicated to the memory of his first consort and cousin, Princess Hsinbyume (, lit. Princess White Elephant, 1789–1812) who had died in childbirth at a site nearby.

Design

The pagoda's design is a great departure from Burmese pagoda design norms. It is based on descriptions of the mythical Sulamani pagoda on Mount Meru, and the lower parts of the pagoda represent the mountain. Seven concentric terraces represent the seven mountain ranges going up to the Mount Meru according to Buddhist mythology.

Earthquakes and restoration

The pagoda was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1839 and was restored by King

Min Min or MIN may refer to: Places * Fujian, also called Mǐn, a province of China ** Min Kingdom (909–945), a state in Fujian * Min County, a county of Dingxi, Gansu province, China * Min River (Fujian) * Min River (Sichuan) * Mineola (Am ...

don in 1874. The pagoda was again badly damaged, with most of the structure collapsing, during the

2025 Myanmar earthquake On 28 March 2025 at 12:50:52 Myanmar Time, MMT (06:20:52 UTC), a 7.7–7.9 earthquake struck the Sagaing Region of Myanmar, with an epicenter close to Mandalay, the country's second-largest city. The strike-slip shock achieved a maximum Modif ...

References

Central Myanmar Destinations, Yadana Narawat
{{Buddhist sites in Myanmar Buildings and structures in Sagaing Region Pagodas in Myanmar 19th-century Buddhist temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1816 Buildings and structures destroyed by the 2025 Myanmar earthquake

Construction

Design

Earthquakes and restoration

See also

References