The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.
Bagan, on the Irrawaddy bank, Mandalay Region · 21.1761°, 94.8579°
A gilded bulbous stupa on diminishing terraces overlooking the Irrawaddy at Bagan, enshrining relics of the Buddha. Its date is disputed, claims ranging from the 2nd to the 11th century; the original collapsed into the river in the 1975 Bagan earthquake and was rebuilt in reinforced concrete between 1976 and 1978.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
The name joins bu, a gourd, to paya, a pagoda: the young Pyusawhti is said to have destroyed five great menaces, among them a rampant gourd creeper on this spot, and to have raised a pagoda wherever he overcame one.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Modern rebuild, traditionally ascribed to Pyusawhti
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