Dhammayazika Pagoda, A Unique Five-Sided Pagoda with Serene Beauty

Dhamma Ya Zi Ka Pagoda, Main Road, Thuhtaykan, Nyaung U Township, Nyaung U District, Mandalay, 55000, Myanmar

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Introduction

In Pali, "Dhamma" means "law", and "Dhammayazaka" refers to "everything belonging to the great law". Although King Narathihapate was quite arrogant, he did have great skills in building stupas, and the Dhammayazaka was unprecedented. In 1197, sixteen years after the completion of the Sulamani pagoda, the King of Sri Lanka offered four Buddhist relics as tribute, and King Narathihapate built the Dhammayazaka the following year (1198) to enshrine these holy bones. The structure of the Dhammayazaka stupa is more unique compared to the other towers in the Bagan pagoda complex. Generally, the base of a stupa is square-shaped, but the base of the Dhammayazaka is pentagonal. A golden bell-shaped tower rises up in the center, surrounded by stairs, and five temples are built at the five corners of the pentagon to enshrine Buddha statues. Typically, when "Buddhas are placed on all sides", it is quite simple, and only the statues of the Buddhas facing north, east, south, and west are placed. However, because the Dhammayazaka has five sides, it was impossible to place the statues in the traditional way. In the end, to fill that position, they had to make do and put the future Buddha as an alternative. Maitreya Bodhisattva squeezed onto the podium in this "make up the numbers" capacity. The stupa body of the Dhammayazaka is surrounded by complete life stories and decorated with exquisite sculptures. Located in the southwest corner of the plain of Bagan, the Dhammayazaka is an excellent spot for sunrise and sunset, but it is quite remote, and often drivers are reluctant to come.