Kyay Thun Phaya (ကြေးသွန်းဘုရား)

Burmese. ‘Bronze Shed Pagoda’. Name of a Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Bago, i.e. Pegu, located opposite of Bago University. The centre of the main hall houses a large gilded Buddha image seated in the lotus position and with a bhumisparsa mudra. The image is surrounded by four smaller, standing Buddha images, one on each corner. They are also gilded and each has a different mudra. Whereas the two in the front face to the entrance, those on the back corners face each towards its nearest side door. Behind the large Buddha image, in the back of the building, is a bed-like pedestal with a reclining Buddha. The walls of the hall are perforated with sizeable circular holes, that on a sunny day let in beams of light which brighten the place and form a kaleidoscope-like pattern of light dots on the temple's floor, thus creating an ideal atmosphere for meditation. To the right of this building simple roofed structure with a large bronze bell, reminiscent of the early 19th century Mingun Bell (fig.) which was specially cast to be placed in the Mingun Pahtodawgyi Pagoda (fig.), while in the back of the building is a large square pond, with an island and a sala-like structure that can be reached from the south by a pedestrian bridge. The temple's compound has a large gate guarded by two White Elephants. 回