Petleik Pagodas

MYANMAR, Mandalay, Bagan

Petleik means Rolled Leaves. It is believed that the pagodas were built during the reign of King Anawrahta (reigned 1044–1077). In 1907 an Indian archaeological team discovered the site and excavated it over eight years.
The East Pagoda is called Ashe and the West Pagoda is called Anauk. They are similar in structure, but the West Pagoda is better preserved. The two pagodas, built on top of structures designed for circumambulation, are each composed of a base, a body, and a spire. The base of each is square and consists of two layers. The lower base is surrounded by a corridor which is covered with a hip roof. The upper base is a two-tier terrace which lies above the hip roof. There is a bell-shaped pagoda body erected above the terraces. Four Buddha niches facing the cardinal directions are carved into the pagoda body. Two horizontal decorative bands encircle the pagoda body, dividing it visually into three parts. The pagoda body is surmounted by a harmika. The East Pagoda has a square harmika, while the West Pagoda has a circular harmika. A conical spire resembling stacked rings is placed at the top of both.
During the excavation, important works of art were discovered. Unglazed terracotta tiles decorated with reliefs of scenes from the Jataka tales are embedded on the walls of the corridor. They are the earliest Jataka reliefs sculpted on terracotta tiles from the Bagan Empire (circa 849–1287). The East Pagoda has 211 such tiles while the West Pagoda has 235 of them. Some of these tiles are damaged. These tiles are approximately the size of a human palm and are decorated with reliefs of the Buddha.