Description of the attraction
The Sulamani Buddhist Temple is located in the village of Minnantu, one and a half kilometers southwest of Old Bagan. Sulamani is a large, elegant multi-storey building dating from the late Bagan period. The temple was built during the reign of King Narapatisithu. During this period, the Bagan kingdom flourished. During the long years of the reign of Narapatisith, some of Bagan's most impressive monuments were built - the Dhammayazik and Gavdavpalin temples. On the north porch of the Sulamani temple, you can see a stone with an inscription, which says that King Narapatisithu found a small ruby at the place where this temple was later erected. In honor of the precious stone, it got its name - Sulamani.
With its architectural style, Sulamani resembles the Khtilominlo temple, which was built several decades later. Sulamani has two floors and is square in shape. The large ground floor is decorated with three protruding terraces. The smaller upper floor is surrounded by four more terraces. There are miniature stupas at the corners of the lower and upper platforms. Sulamani is crowned with a shikhara - a turret typical for the temples of Northern India. Unlike the Ananda temple, the shikhara of Sulamani is not plated with gold. Shikhara is decorated with hti - an architectural element resembling an umbrella.
The temple has four entrances. The eastern portal is considered the main one. The base and terraces of Sulamani are decorated with beautiful glazed terracotta tiles depicting the Buddha's previous lives.
The gables above the entrance doors and windows are decorated with exquisite stucco moldings. In the corridor that encircles the main hall on the ground floor, you can see frescoes from different eras with scenes from the life of Buddha and images of mythological animals. There, in the niches, there are statues of a seated Buddha. The temple complex is surrounded by a fence.
