Photographs (by George P. Landow) You may use these images without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. Click on images to enlarge them.
The Afternoon Excursion — The Thatbyinnyu Temple (c. 1150 AD)
We stopped first at a group of stupas dating back to around 1130 with the ruins of the then-royal palace in the foreground.
According to Hla Maung, the two pagodas in the center and the right pictures involve what turns out to be a somewhat typical story of royal patracide in ancient Burmese history: after waiting to assume power until his father was well past 100 years old, an impatient crown prince had him moved to the pagoda when he fell ill and then smothered him with a pillow. He then built a more magnificent stupa. Having killed the Sri Lankan princess he'd married after she'd insulted him for his lack of cleanliness, assassins sent by her father killed him — after he'd ruled for only three years.
Last modified 17 April 2001