Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

3031 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
High medieval · Hindu · Myanmar

Nanpaya Temple

Myinkaba, Bagan, Mandalay Region · 21.1525°, 94.8588°

BrahmaKing Manuha of ThatonBrick, stone and mud-mortar shrine with a square sanctum, mandapa and perforated stone windows
Sacred since
1000 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
11th–12th c.
King Manuha of Thaton

History & significance

A rare Brahmanical shrine in the overwhelmingly Buddhist landscape of Bagan, said to have served the captive Thaton king Manuha before being turned into a temple. Its four stone pillars carry celebrated reliefs of Brahma seated on lotuses.

Sthala katha — the traditional account

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.

Its sculpture shows Vishnu reclining on the serpent Shesha with a lotus rising from his navel to give birth to Brahma, the creation of the cosmos.

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Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: King Manuha of Thaton