Nanpaya Temple in Burma

WRITTEN BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN

Post No. 12,293

Date uploaded in London – –  18 July , 2023                  

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

https://www.pustaka.co.in/home/author/london-swaminathan

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Part 1 was posted yesterday

A Sanskrit inscription from Hamawaa indicates the practice of Hinduism long before the fifth century CE.

A Pagan inscription dated 1442 CE mentions the gift of 255 books to the

Sangha . some of these bear Sanskrit titles.

About 1600 CE, Pundits well versed in Vedas and other branches were living in the country. Experts in Atharvan Veda were in Burmese court.

The Mon Inscriptions contain many Sanskrit words.

An inscription found at Myinpagan opens with a Sanskrit verse taken from Mukundamala of saint king Kulasekhara Alvar

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City names in Sanskrit

Arimaddanapura for ancient Pagan ;

Bissunumyo  for Vishnumaya ;

Hmawza was Srikshetra /Sisit

The Burmese chronicle Mahayazavin contains the tradition that the city was founded by Vishnu with the help of Chandi, Garuda and Parameswara.

Apart from Sanskrit inscriptions, one can see hindu influence in the law books of Myanmar . some legal treatises written in pali betray their indebtedness to the Dharmasastras of Manu and Narada.

The Burmese versions of the Chanakya Niti sastra is very popular in Burma .

Hindu deities Brahma , Vishnu, Siva, Ganesa and Durga are found in Burmese temples

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Buddhist Pagoda in Yangon

Hindu temples in Burma

Nanpaya Temple (Burmese: နန်းဘုရားကျောင်း [náɰ̃ pʰəjá tɕáʊɰ̃]; lit. “palace temple”) is a Hindu temple located in Myinkaba (a village south of Bagan) in Burma. The temple is adjacent to the Manuha Temple and was built by captive Thaton Kingdom King Makuta.

It was built using mud mortar, stone, and brick, and was used as the residence of Manuha. The temple contains intricate carvings of Brahma, and also contains depictions of other Hindu gods. Also, because Manuha was a Mon, there are many figures and symbols of the Mon within the temple, including Hinthas.

Burma is the British colonial officials’ phonetic equivalent for the first half of Brahma Desha, the ancient name of the region. Brahma is part of Hindu trinity, a deity with four heads. The name Myanmar is the regional language transliteration of Brahma, where b and m are interchangeable.

Arakan (Rakhine) Yoma is a significant natural mountainous barrier between Burma and India, and the migration of Hinduism and Buddhism into Burma occurred slowly through Manipur and by South Asian seaborne traders. Hinduism greatly influenced the royal court of Burmese kings in pre-colonial times, as seen in the architecture of cities such as Bagan. Likewise, the Burmese language adopted many words from Sanskrit and Pali, many of which relate to religion.

During 19th and 20th century , over a million Hindu workers were brought in by British colonial government to serve in plantations and mines. The British also felt that surrounding the European residential centre with Indian immigrants provided a buffer and a degree of security from tribal theft and raids. According to 1931 census, 55% of Rangoon’s (Yangon) population were Indian migrants, mostly Hindus.

The Nathlaung Kyaung Temple (Sanskrit: नाथ्लौंग क्यौंग, Burmese: နတ်လှောင်ကျောင်း [naʔl̥àʊɰ̃ tɕáʊɰ̃]; literally “shrine confining the spirits”) is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu. The temple is located inside the city walls of old Bagan.

Nathlaung Kyaung Temple is to the west of the Thatbyinnyu Temple, and it is the only remaining Hindu temple in Bagan. Nat-Hlaung Kyaung temple is one of the oldest temples in Bagan, and was built in the 11th century, during the reign of King Anawratha. Some historians believe the temple was built in the 10th century, during the reign of King Nyaung-u Sawrahan (also known as Taungthugyi). The temple was originally built for Hindu Burmese Indians of the 11th century, including merchants and Brahmins in the service of the king. Many structures of the original temple have disappeared, although the main hall remains. Originally, the temple contained statues of the incarnations of Vishnu; however, today, only seven remain. The brick temple was isolated and unrepaired for many years, damaged by earthquakes.

The temple is set on a square template with steep-rising upper terraces. It may have been built by Indian artisans brought into Bagan (Pagan), during the 10th century CE, to work on it and other temples.
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Ananda Temple in Bagan (Pagan)

It is Buddhist temple built in 1105 CE.

The name Ananda of the temple is derived from the Venerable Ananda, Buddha’s first cousin, personal secretary, one of his many principal disciples and a devout attendant. It was once known as Ananta Temple, coming from the phrase ‘ananta pinya’ in Sanskrit, which translates as “endless wisdom”. However, the word ‘Ānanda’ in Pali, Sanskrit as well as other Indian languages mean “bliss”. It is a popular Buddhist and Hindu name.

All most all the Buddhist Pagodas have something in Sanskrit. Kings’ names are also in Sanskrit, some beyond recognition. Like Brahma became Myanmar, many names have changed.

–subham—

Tags- Burma, Brahmadesh, Myanmar, Hindu Temples, Sanskrit inscriptions