Shwegugyi Temple

The Shwegugyi Temple (Burmese: ရွှေဂူကြီး ဘုရား, pronounced [ʃwèɡùdʑí pʰəjá]; literally, "Great Golden Cave") is a Theravada Buddhist temple in Bagan, Myanmar. The temple is recognized as Monument #1589 in the Bagan Archeological Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[1]

Shwegugyi Temple
ရွှေဂူကြီး ဘုရား
Religion
Affiliation	Buddhism
Sect	Theravada
Location
Location	Bagan
Country	Myanmar
Shown within Myanmar
Geographic coordinates	21.1707443°N 94.8624056°E
Architecture
Founder	King Sithu I
Groundbreaking	17 May 1331
Completed	17 December 1331

Located just to the southeast of what apparently were the ruins of the former royal palace founded by King Kyansittha (r. 1084–1113),[1] the temple was built by King Sithu I of Pagan (Bagan) in 1131.[2] According to the stone inscriptions at the temple, set up in 1141,[3] construction work on the temple began on 17 May 1331, and was completed on 17 December 1331.[4] Built on an expansive 3 m (9.8 ft) tall brick foundation, the temple is known for its arched windows, and fine stucco and carved wooden doors in the interior.[1]

Gallery

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  Sikhara tower
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References

1. Fiala 2002
2. Coedes 1968: 166
3. Dutton 2014
4. Maha Yazawin Vol. 1 2006: 199, footnote 1

Bibliography

• Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans.Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1.
• Dutton, George (2014). Voices of Southeast Asia: Essential Readings from Antiquity to the Present. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781317452447.
• Fiala, Robert D. (2002). "Shwegugyi Temple, Bagan, Myanmar". Oriental Architecture. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
• Kala, U (2006) [1724]. Maha Yazawin (in Burmese). 1–3 (4th printing ed.). Yangon: Ya-Pyei Publishing.
• Pictorial Guide to Pagan. Rangoon: Ministry of Culture. 1975 [1955].