Burma/ Myanmar: Mingalazedi Pagoda in Bagan, Upper Burma, c.1920s.

Mingalazedi Pagoda was built in 1284 during the reign of King Narathihapate. The pagoda is one of the few temples in Bagan with a full set of glazed terracotta tiles depicting the ‘Jataka’—an ancient Pali book of verses related to the previous births of the Buddha.

The pagoda was built in brick and contains several terraces leading to a large pot-shaped stupa at its centre, topped by a bejewelled umbrella (hti). Mingalazedi Pagoda was built a few years before the First Burmese Empire (Pagan Kingdom) was pillaged by the Mongols in 1287.

The ruins of Bagan (also spelled Pagan) cover an area of 16 square miles (41 km2). The majority of its buildings were built between the 11th and 13th centuries, during the time Bagan was the capital of the First Burmese Empire. It was not until King Pyinbya moved the capital to Bagan in 874 CE that it became a major city. However, in Burmese tradition, the capital shifted with each reign, and thus Bagan was once again abandoned until the reign of King Anawrahta who, in 1057, conquered the Mon capital of Thaton, and brought back the Tripitaka Pali scriptures, Buddhist monks and craftsmen to help transform Bagan into a religious and cultural centre. With the help of a monk from Lower Burma, Anawrahta made Theravada Buddhism the state religion.

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