Myinmo Taung (မြင်းမိုရ် တောင်)

Burmese. ‘Mount Meru’. Name of a brick Buddhist temple structure in Inwa (fig.), which dates from the Ava Period. It consist of a wide round tower with both a spacious outer staircase as well as a narrower stairway which is partly on the inside, and which both lead to the top of the edifice. At the rooftop is a mandapa-like edifice through which one enters the rooftop or can descend using the inner staircase, starting from a covered doorway which is somewhat reminiscent of an Indian-style darwaza. The top also has a small stupa and offers a panoramic view of the area, including the adjacent Lawka Dotha Mahn Aung Pagoda (fig.) and Win Ga Bar (fig.). The artificial mount is named after Meru, i.e. the sacred and golden mountain, as well as abode of the gods and centre of the universe, in both Hindu and Buddhist cosmology. Sometimes transliterated Myint Mo Taung. See TRAVEL PICTURES (1), (2) and (3). 回