Mingala Zedi (မင်္ဂလာစေတီ)

Burmese. ‘Blessed Pagoda’. Name of brick zedi or stupa in Bagan. It was built in 1277 AD by King Sithu IV of Pagan, who is also known as Narathihapati. It took six years to complete its construction and was finished only a few years before Pagan was pillaged in 1287 by the invading Mongols of Kublai Khan. It was the very last of the large Late Period monuments to be built before the Kingdom's decline, thus representing the final architectural style of Bagan's Golden Era and is noted for its fine proportions. It is located not far south of the southern city gate of Old Bagan, the one closest to the Irrawaddy riverbank. The pagoda has three terraces and was originally topped with a bell-shaped stupa that had a hti-umbrella at its peak, though the dome was damaged and the peak came tumbling down in the August 2016 earthquake, resulting in it being one of the many damaged structures that were scheduled for repair, which is in some places is still ongoing. The square terraces can be reached by any of the four steep staircases, one in the middle of each of the four sides. Being the westernmost monument at Bagan that can be climbed, its uppermost terrace offers a good spot for a panoramic sunrise view of all the monuments lying to the east. It is one of only a few temples in Bagan which still has a full set of glazed terracotta tiles depicting scenes from the jataka. The complex is enclosed by a brick wall. In the northeastern corner there is a small square building. This is one of the few brick libraries found in Bagan. Usually, these were constructed of wood (fig.) and most have longs since been destroyed by fires. Also transliterated Mingalar Zedi. See MAP. 回