Dhammayazika Pagoda

The Dhammayazika Pagoda is a Buddhist temple set in a garden with flowers and trees, located in the village of Pwasaw in a remote area of the Bagan plains. The pagoda was built by King Narapatisithu towards the end of the 12th century to enshrine a number of sacred Buddhist relics given to him by the King of Sri Lanka. Where most of the Bagan monuments have a square floor plan, the Dhammayazika has a pentagonal layout. Dhammayazika is a brick structure topped by a very large, impressive bell shaped fully gilded dome, and surrounded by five smaller structures. The dome with horizontal concentric rings is beautifully decorated with several motifs, including lotus buds. On each of the five sides of the Dhammayazika Pagoda is a smaller structure enshrining an image of the Buddha. Besides images of the four previous Buddhas, the fifth structure holds an image of the Maitreya Buddha, the future Buddha.