Gawdawpalin Temple

Gawdawpalin Temple
Gawdawpalin Temple with Ayeyarwady River on the background
Gawdawpalin Temple Location within Burma
Information
Denomination	Theravada Buddhism
Founded	26 March 1227 (26 March 1227)
People
Founder(s)	King Narapatisithu
Location
Address	Bagan, Mandalay Region
Country	Myanmar

File:Gawdawpalin Pahto.jpg

Gawdawpalin Pahto

Gawdawpalin Temple (Burmese: ကောတော့ပလ္လင်ဘုရား, IPA: [ɡɔ́dɔ̰pəlɪ̀ɴ pʰəjá]) is a Buddhist temple located in Bagan, Burma (Myanmar). Construction of the pagoda began during the reign of Narapatisithu (1174–1211) and completed on 26 March 1227 during the reign of Htilominlo (1211–1235). Gawdawpalin Temple is the second tallest temple in Bagan. The temple is similar in layout to Thatbyinnyu Temple. Gawdawpalin Temple is two storeys tall, and contains three lower terraces and four upper terraces. The temple was heavily damaged during the 1975 earthquake and was reconstructed in following years.

File:Gawdawpalin 1855.jpg

Gawdawpalin Temple in 1855

The Gawdawpalin Temple belongs to the style of the hollow gu-style temple.

In contrast to the stupas, the hollow gu-style temple is a structure used for meditation, devotional worship of the Buddha and other Buddhist rituals. The gu temples come in two basic styles: "one-face" design and "four-face" design—essentially one main entrance and four main entrances. Other styles such as five-face and hybrids also exist. The one-face style grew out of 2nd century Beikthano, and the four-face out of 7th century Sri Ksetra. The temples, whose main features were the pointed arches and the vaulted chamber, became larger and grander in the Bagan period. (Paragraph on "Hollow Temples" copied from Bagan).