Page:Provincial geographies of India (Volume 4).djvu/216

200 Buddha Gaya in Bengal and Gawdapalin, built by Nara-pati-sithu in the 12th century. Of a small unnamed temple, Crawfurd writes: "within the chamber were two good images in sandstone, and sculptured in high relief. One of these was Vishnu or Krishna, sitting on his Garuda; and the other Siwa, the destroying power, with his trisula, or trident, in one hand and a mallet in the other ." The first temple built by Anawrata enshrines hairs of the Buddha; the corners of the lowest terrace are guarded by images of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siwa.

Specially deserving of mention are Shwegugyi, built by Alaungsithu in the 12th century; Tilomile, a two-storeyed building, dating from 1218; and Shwezigôn, one of the oldest buildings in Pagan.

A few hundred yards South of [Shwezigôn] lies ensconced amid green verdure and ruins, Kyansittha's Ônhmin or the Cave Temple of King Kyansittha (1084—1112 A.D.). It is a brick building of unpretentious dimensions, and is almost hidden from view because its site has been scooped out of a sand-dune. As the Ananda temple is the store-house of the finest statuary in stone in Burma, so this Cave Temple contains the best collection of exquisite frescoes illustrating Burmese civilization, probably before the 11th century A.D. Such Cave Temples are numerous in the neighbourhood.

Dhammayazaka temple, built by King Narapatisithu, 1196, contains images of the five Buddhas of the present cycle including Arimetteyya who is still to appear.

Besides temples and pagodas, many in good preservation, ruined monasteries abound in great numbers and of various types. Enough has been cited to indicate the extreme wealth of Pagan in archaeological treasures to the examination of which much labour has been devoted in recent years.

The flourishing and unique lacquer industry has already been described.