Htilominlo Temple

MYANMAR, Mandalay, Bagan

Htilominlo means Favored by the White Umbrella and the King, and the temple is named after King Htilominlo (reigned 1210–1234) of the Bagan dynasty. In order to choose which of his five sons would succeed him, King Narapatisithu (reigned 1173–1210) gathered his sons around a white umbrella, which symbolized kingship. The king declared that the white umbrella would point to his successor. The umbrella pointed to his youngest son, who became King Htilominlo. The temple was built by the king in 1218 to commemorate the event and is one of the largest temples in Bagan. It was damaged during an earthquake in 1975 and repaired between 1976 and 1979.
The red brick two-story temple is 46 m high and has a square base that measures 43 m on each side. At the top of each story there are three terraces adorned with green glazed sandstone plaques, with an ancillary pagoda on each corner. Porticos on all four sides provide entry into the temple and the portico on the east side is the main entrance. There are fine carvings on the arch pediments, friezes, and pilasters. The body of the spire has a tapered cuboid shape with multiple corners and culminates in stacked rings, a canopy and finial.
Inside the temple, there are four Buddha images on each story, each at a cardinal point around the central square block. There are 22 niches that house smaller Buddha statues along the vaulted corridor. Traces of old murals and horoscopes can be seen on the ceiling and walls of the corridor.