The Elegant Htilominlo Temple in Bagan

Looming large over the horizon from the viewing deck of the temple is the Htilominlo Temple. Don’t ask me how to pronounce the name of the temple, but I rather let the photos speak for themselves. The huge temple reminds me a lot of a large gothic cathedral in Europe, but another look at it will reveal that it is not European at all but something distinctly Burmese. Rising from the plains of Bagan the central tower is seen by all. The spires on the temple also give an elegant touch to the temple.

Temple Entrance Lined with Hawkers

The temple is built by King Nantaungmya in 1218. As with temples of this shape, it is built in a cruciform shape. At the grond floor there is a statue of Buddha in front of each cardinal direction. For all the splendor of the temple from the outside, inside, it was rather the opposite. I suppose there were much more decoration back then but the elements have already made their impact on these structures. Still you can see remnants of these intricate works of art in some places of the Temple.

Buddha Inside the Temple

The Htilominlo Temple actually has a second floor, unfortunately, this was considered off limits to the public. I guess it is for the better since we do not want something like this falling into disrepair. This temple is truly an interesting place and there are literraly dozens of them here in the plains of Bagan. My horse cart driver brought me here beside this is one of the more significant ones. You can tell when there are a lot of vendors outside the temple.

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