INTERESTING PLACES

Hna-Kyeik-Shi-Su Wut ( also called the Alai wut or Middle Shrine)

This shrine was built in 1888 by U Nar Auk. It consists of two parts. The front and back buildings.The front portion consisting of the main hall which is surrounded by a corridor and is roofed by a 9 tiered pyathat or spire, while the back portion is the shrine proper which has a lower pyathat roof of 5 tiers.

The front building

The corridor outside the hall has a series of relief carvings displayed just under the ceiling depicting the life of the Buddha. Similar carvings depicting the histories of Bagan and Thaton, an old Mon capital city, are also displayed on the inner sides of the hall proper. The many pillers inside and outside the hall are all covered by glass mosaic work of varyimg patterns. Festoons of carved floral patterns stretch across the upper portions of the spaces between the pillers. Similar floral carvings stretch as a band between the pillers just above the relief carvings. The ceilings, like those in the Theingyi, are decoratively subdivided into square and triangular patterns; those over the central hall being decorated with glass mosaic and variously painted in gold and other colors while those over the corridors uses traditional floral patterns painted in red and gold.

The Shrine proper

The arch over the door leading into the shrine room is also specially decorated. The arch as well as the wall above it is decorated with delicately cut, curved and slender glass pieces embedded into plaster representing coiling and intertwining network of vines, replete with leaves and flowers. The doors and windows are painted with traditional designs in gold.

In the shrine room are numerous Buddha images laid out in 3 tiers of decorated platforms. The walls are elaborately gold painted with varying forms of traditional designs. The decorations on the ceilings are similar to those in the Theingyi. On the outer surfaces of the shrineroom, the supporting pillers are all covered in glass mosaic. The door arches are also decorated with reticulated network of slender cut pieces embedded in plaster. Remnants of gold paints can still be seen on the door surfaces. A series of paintings depicting mythical events can be seen on the front and sides of the outer part of the main hall building just under the roof.

Condition of shrine

• The glass mosaic over much of the building are peeling off and, because of the nature of artwork and the materials used, it will be difficult indeed to restore them.
• The painted artwork on the wall have deteriorated especially at the weather exposed external surfaces of the shrine.
• There had been damage to the wooden beams supporting the main pyathat caused by an earthquake. This had recently been repaired by reinforcement with steel beams.
• Much of the woodwork of the doorframes have rotted.
• On the external part of the shrine the glass mosaic work on the pillers have faded. Only remnants of the gold paintings on the doors can still be seen.