Gubyaukgyi Temple

• Location: Myinkaba, Bagan, Myanmar
• Recommended reason: Its murals are relatively well preserved and famous.
• Opening hours: 09:00-16:30(January 1st to December 31st)
• Entrance fee: Free

Gubyaukgyi Temple facts:

Gubyaukgyi Temple is located in south of Bagan, Myanmar, in Myinkaba Village. The temple is built by King Anawrahta. Different with other temples, it has a square basement where the Buddha is enshrined. There are more than 500 murals telling the legend of the Mon in the temple. The windows are hollowed and carved. Each window of the temple is different. Gubyaukgyi Temple is not only an independent pagoda, it forms a dense group of pagoda with many large and small pagodas around it.

It is a Buddhist temple built in 1113 AD by Prince Yazakumar, son of King Kyansittha. The son of Kyansittha, who was deprived of the succession to the king at the time, became a monk in the Gubyaukgyi Temple. From the outside, it seems that this small temple is slightly below the ground. It looks like normal. It is amazing if you walk inside the temple. In addition to large and small Buddhist altars, there are more than 500 murals in the temple, which are important historical materials for studying the folk customs of the city. It was praised by Western scholars as the ‘encyclopedia of Buddhism’. Since the murals inside the Sulamani Guphaya Temple have been closed. Murals of Gubyaukgyi Temple perhaps are the most beautiful in Bagan.

How to visit Gubyaukgyi Temple?

It is about 1.7 km from Ananda Temple, about 5.5 km from Shrezigon Pagoda and about 1.5 km from Shwesandaw Pagoda. This is one of the few temples on the Bagan Plain that have a good preservation of internal murals. There are many intact murals that are the oldest original painting of Bagan on the inner walls of the temple. Unfortunately, tourists are not allowed to take pictures of these murals. There are more than 500 murals in the tower, telling the legend of the Mon. The windows of temple are hollowed and carved. The light inside the pagoda is not very bright, you’d better bring a flashlight.

How to get to Gubyaukgyi Temple?

a. There are 3 ways to get to Gubyaukgyi Temple.

b. You can take a local carriage which costs about 20,000 kyats a day to Gubyaukgyi Temple.

c. You can also rent a bicycle which costs about 1500 kyats a day to make a tour around Gubyaukgyi Temple.

d. You can rent an 8-seat car which costs about 50,000 kyats a day.