Myinkaba Pagoda (1328)

The Myinkaba pagoda shares its name with the village and a stream, and the chronicles thus explain the origin of the name.

On the provocation of his half-brother  King Sokkate, Anawrahta mustered his forces and marched against Sokkate. When the two met in single combat on horseback by a stream, Sokkate’s lance struck the pommel of Anawrahta’s saddle, but Anawrahta’s lance pierced Sokkate through and through.

Sokkate’s horse ran away with its master to the stream, where he died. Thestream thus became known as Myinkaba (Myin-ka-ba). (‘Myin’ means horse, ‘ka’ means horse’s saddle, and ‘ba’ (or) ‘pā’ means bring. So ‘Myin-ka-ba’ means “Brought On the Horse’s Saddle”).

The chronicles go on to relate that Anawrahta ascended the throne, but, torn by remorse at the killing of Sokkate, he built the Myinkaba to make amends for his deed.

The Myinkaba is simple in form, with a dome and a finial which foreshadow Anawrahta’s later work, the Shwesandaw. But the great difference is in the terraces. While those of the Shwesandaw provide a lofty, pyramidal base, those of the Myinkaba are low and circular, creating quite a different effect.

Glimpse of Glorious Bagan, Universities Historical Research Centre, Yangon, Myanmar, The University Press, 1996

Pictorial Guide to Pagan, Ministry of Culture, Yangon, Myanmar, The Printing and Publish Corporation, Reprint 1975

The Pagodas and Monuments of Bagan, Vol. 1, Translated by Dr Khin Maung Nyunt, Ministry of Information, Yangon, Myanmar, Graphic Training Centre (G.T.C), 1995

The Pagodas and Monuments of Bagan , Vol. 2, English Text by Dr Khin Maung Nyunt, Ministry of Information, Yangon, Myanmar, Graphic Training Centre (G.T.C), 1998

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