Koe-Thaung temple
Largest temple in Mrauk U housing 80,000 Buddha images
Located on a plain a few kilometers East of the Royal Palace is the Koe-Thaung temple, the largest structure in Mrauk U. The massive monument, built of stone walls and stone terraces measures 76 meters by 70 meters. Resembling a fortress with its thick stone walls the temple is surrounded by fields of farmers.
The “shrine of the 90,000 images of the Buddha”
Koe-Thaung translates to “shrine of the 90,000 images of the Buddha”, referring to the number of Buddha images that it contained. The temple was built in 1553 to gain religious merit by King Min Dikkha, the son of Min Bin who built the Shite-Thaung (“temple of the 80,000 images of the Buddha”) three decades earlier.
After being abandoned centuries earlier, excavation works started in 1996 and the Koe-Thaung was partly restored. During excavation works several items were found like stone oil lamps, that were used to illuminate the dark interior of the temple.
The massive Koe-Thaung temple is built of stone walls and stone terraces and has a maze like interior. Its entrance is on the East side. The temple is surrounded by five receding terraces on which a large number of small stupas stand. At the center of the Koe-Thaung is a large circular bell shaped stupa.
Spiralling passageway through the temple’s interior
A long vaulted passageway spirals through the interior towards the central chamber. While some parts of the passageway are still intact, other sections have partly collapsed and show large cracks in the stone walls. At some sections a temporary roof has been erected to protect the passageway from rain. The corridor’s walls are adorned with thousands of small images of the Buddha, sculpted in bas relief. At regular intervals are larger images of the Buddha seated on a pedestal in the Bhumisparsha mudra of calling the Earth to witness.
of the Koe-Thaung temple
Legend of the Koe-Thaung temple
According to legend the Koe-Thaung temple was hit by lightning and largely destroyed because its builder, King Min Dikkha wanted to outdo his father with the construction of a temple containing 90,000 images of the Buddha, 10,000 more than his father’s temple, the Shite-Thaung.
Archeologists believe instead that construction quality of the temple is inferior compared to other temples in Mrauk U because of the very short construction period and the building materials used. While other monuments were mostly built with large sandstone blocks, the Koe-Thaung was constructed with fewer sandstone blocks and more bricks, probably to save time.
Other temples in Mrauk U
Among the other temples & pagodas in Mrauk U are: