Kyaung Lain (ကြောင်လိမ်)

Burmese. Name of an ancient brick monastery in Inwa, located adjacent to and to the east of Myinmo Taung (fig.). It is rather rectangular in shape, with indentations that house some mandapa-like porches centered on the sides, thus dividing each of the four facades into cube-like blocks with niche-like windows in each side of the outer walls. A flight of steep stairs on the northern side leads right up to the central core. The vaulted roof has over time collapsed in many places. Kyaung Lain means ‘Spiral [Staircase]’, yet it can literally also be translated as ‘Lying Cat’, ‘Twisted Cat’, or ‘Curling Cat’, and with the Burmese word Kyaung in a slightly different spelling (see kyaung), it becomes ‘Spiral Monastery’. The monastery was built by King Taninganway of the Toungoo Dynasty, who reigned between 1714 and 1733 AD. See also TRAVEL PICTURES and MAP. 回