One of the more bizarrely shaped temples in Bagan was the Bu Paya. The Bu Paya is built on top of a small elevation on the shores of the mighty Ayeyarwaddy River. My driver drove me the the Bu Paya and promptly headed off to the shade, leaving me in the hot sun. The Bu Paya was has a bizarre gourd shape giving its name “Bu” which means gourd.
There was a small pavillion beside the gourd but I didn’t really feel like going inside, since it would mean I would have to remove my footwear again. In the hot afternoon sun, even the marble tilings are already burning my wussy feet, while the locals continue to go about their business.
Actually, the current Bu Paya is already a reproduction of the original. With the original having fallen into the river because of an earthquake a couple of decades back. The story goes that the third king of Bagan built the temple as commemoration of his luck in cleaning the area of “Bu” or gourd which was infesting the area. He was then rewarded by the then king. Interestingly, this won’t be the only instance of gourd shaped temples here in Bagan. I wonder if someone else decided to clear some gourd infestation in another place.
[xmlgm {http://www.worldwanderings.net/kml/BuPaya.kmz} zoom=14]