Nga Htat Gyi Pagoda

14 Meter tall “five storey Buddha”

The Nga Htat Gyi pagoda in Yangon is known for its enormous seated image of the Buddha. The pagoda is located in the Ashay Tawya Monastery, a little visited temple across the street from the Chauk Htat Gyi pagoda that houses a highly revered 65 meter long reclining Buddha image.

A flight of stairs leads to the temple grounds. A gate with a very ornately decorated five tiered Burmese Pyatthat roof, topped with a hti is guarded by two large white and gold mythological lions called Chinthe.

Nga Htat Gyi Buddha image

The Nga Htat Gyi Buddha image is housed in a large iron pavilion. Its golden dome is topped with a multi tiered hti, an ornamental spire shaped like an umbrella. The walkway to the temple is adorned with murals, including depictions of Buddhist Hell, where sinners receive punishments for their sins.

Seated on a pedestal with the back towards an ornately carved wooden screen is the very large white Nga Htat Gyi image in Royal regalia wearing a golden robe. The image which is also known as the “five storey Buddha” measures nearly 14 meters high. The Nga Htat Gyi Buddha image in the Bhumisparsha mudra of “Calling the Earth to witness” was built in 1900. An image measuring about 6 meters tall is believed to have been in the temple in the 16^th century.

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One of the pavilion’s walls contains a painting of the Buddha with a long line of followers dressed in red robes. At the right end of the picture a number of statues of disciples seem to emerge from the painting. A large bell hanging down from the pavilion’s ceiling is held by a Naga snake, a mythological animal believed to protect Buddhism.

Other structures on the grounds include several smaller pagodas and the kuti, the monks living quarters.