Pagan: The City of a Thousand Temples, boasts the most brutal pagoda – Locals warn: 'Unlucky, don't climb it!'
This is an efficient and free travel in the forest, let's go on a journey of wielding swords and conquering the heavens together.
Bagan in Myanmar is known as the City of a Thousand Temples. How many pagodas does Bagan actually have? As of now, there are over 2000 numbered ones scattered across Old Bagan, New Bagan, Nyaung U regions, as well as the dozens of kilometers of wilderness in the Central Plain, Northern Plain, and Southern Plain.
These over 2000 pagodas each have a story to tell. Today, let's talk aboutDatayama Temple Pagoda
Located south of Old Bagan, in the central plain of the Bagan region, there is a pagoda called Datayama Temple Pagoda.
Datayama Temple Pagoda is Bagan's most magnificent pagoda, a veritable giant, and an outstanding representative of brick tower architecture, made of red bricks, with the bricks tightly fitted together, like needles could not be inserted between them.
Back then, the builders were incredibly brutal; if the slightest gap appeared in the brickwork, the craftsmen's fingers would be cut off, and if they weren't successful, they would be executed. The pagoda still has the tools used for this purpose, so locals call Datayama Temple Pagoda the 'Pagoda of Tyranny'.
Legend has it that in the 12th century, King Narada of Bagan murdered his brother and usurped the throne by killing his father, and then married his father's wife, a truly wicked deed. After taking the throne, he felt guilty and decided to build a large temple to appease his conscience. However, he continued his wickedness and continued to abuse his power, even executing craftsmen whose brickwork was not quite tight enough (if the slightest gap appeared in the brickwork, the craftsmen's fingers would be cut off). Eventually, in 1170, King Narada was assassinated beside the Datayama Pagoda, only three years after taking the throne.
These legends all say that this pagoda is 'unlucky', and no one should climb it.
However, this pagoda is a very prominent pagoda, because it's located in the center of Bagan, and you can see it from any height of temple. Plus, its red brick body looks magnificent when the sun sets, often creating a spectacular foreground.
We, as tourists, naturally don't believe in bad luck and go to visit. Datayama Temple Pagoda is a large pagoda, one of the Four Great Pagodas of Bagan, with a large space, a quiet corridor, and many windows. The light and shadow are mesmerizing. Because it was never completed, you can climb to the top of the pagoda.
Walking around Datayama Temple Pagoda, admiring the tightly fitted red brick walls, passing through dark corridors, you feel like you've traveled back to the 12th century, and you can vaguely see the tyrannical king and the unfortunate craftsmen.
Original content!
If you like my original texts, please follow me and like them.
If you like traveling, please also follow me, let's exchange ideas together.
@Linzi, multi-platform travel influencer, self-media person.
@
