The Shaitthaung Temple ( Rakhine and , Rakhine pronunciation: ), also spelled Shitthaung (Okell: ''Hyiʔthaùñ hpăyà'' ) according to Standard Burmese pronunciation, is a

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

Mrauk U Mrauk U ( ) is a town in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. It is the capital of Mrauk-U Township, a subregion of the Mrauk-U District. Mrauk U is culturally significant for the local Rakhine people, Rakhine (Arakanese) people and is the location ...

. The name means 'Temple of 80,000 Buddha Images', and is also known as the 'Temple of Victory'.

History

The temple was built in 1535–1536 by King

Min Bin Min Bin (Arakanese language, Arakanese and , , Arakanese pronunciation: ; also known as Min Ba-Gyi (မင်းဗာကြီး, , Meng Ba-Gri, Arakanese pronunciation: ); 1493–1554) was a king of Mrauk-U Kingdom, Arakan, a former Adminis ...

to commemorate his conquest of Bengal.Gutman 2001: 96 It is located on the western face of Pokhaung Hill, north of the Royal Palace, and adjacent to the Andaw-thein Temple. It is typical of the many Buddhist temples found in Burma: a central bell-shaped

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

, surrounded by four smaller stupas at the corners, and a multitude of even-smaller stupas surrounding them. At the east of the temple, there is an addition of a flight of stairs and tazaung (about 75 years old). There is a central hall at the heart of the temple, which can be easily accessed. Hundreds of

Buddha statues Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as () in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure in an image may be someone else who has obtained B ...

line the main hall, some of them in their original positions, others moved from nearby excavation sites. However, the Shitthaung's most prominent feature is not the central hall, but rather the three layers of maze-like corridors that encircle the main hall. The three corridors contain multiple reliefs of Buddhas,

Bodhisattvas In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, ''Enlightenment in Buddhism, bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal n ...

, Kings of Spiritual abodes, Devas, guardian spirits, the 550

Jatakas The ''Jātaka'' (Sanskrit for "Birth-Related" or "Birth Stories") are a voluminous body of literature native to the Indian subcontinent which mainly concern the previous births of Gautama Buddha in both human and animal form. Jataka stories we ...

, Arakanese culture and animals, both real and mythical. The Shite-thaung temple is the main attraction of Mrauk U. Adjacent to it lies another famous temple, the

Htukkanthein Temple Htukkanthein (; ) is one of the most famous Buddhist temples in the ancient Arakanese city of Mrauk U, in Rakhine State, Western Myanmar. The name means "Cross-Beam Ordination Hall". Like most of Mrauk U's Buddhist temples, it is designed as a ...

(''Htukkan Ordination Hall'').

Weather damage

Due to Mrauk U's tropical location, much of its temples have been damaged by the monsoon rain. It was discovered in 2003 that the central stupa had begun to leak, dissolving away some of the intricate statues in the two chambers. To prevent this, the local archaeological department poured concrete over the stupas. This prevented the statues inside from being destroyed, but it also destroyed the outer appearance of the temple, which was the focal pagoda to most of the northern Arakanese. Multiple Arakanese criticize "the defacing" of their treasured temple, but since it was the only way to protect the more precious carvings inside, the actions have not been as widely condemned as expected.

Gallery

References

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