Baw Baw Gyi Pagoda (6th-7th centuries)

The Bawbawgyi Paya is the best preserved ruin of the old Pyu kingdom of Sri Ksetra. Of uncertain age, it was likely built between the 6th and the 7th centuries when the Pyu people commanded the circular city immediately to the north. Despite its antiquity, the pagoda is in excellent structural condition, having miraculously survived a number of major earthquakes over the preceding centuries. The stupa is circular in plan, standing on a five-tiered circular base that was only recently excavated (several of the terraces were buried under debris over the centuries). The cylindrical body rises 46 meters inclusive of its cone-shaped cap. The topmost point is crowned with a metal hti of modern vintage. The unusual profile of the pagoda is probably derived from prototypes in Northern India such as the Dharmakh Stupa, a monument contemporary with the Bawbawgyi which still stands 1,500 kilometers to the northwest. Although the pagoda appears solid, it is actually hollow up to height of 24 meters. Two openings on the outside are visible—one near the base of the topmost terrace, and another about halfway up the sheer walls of the monument. Both of these are closed to visitors. The interior relic chamber still contains hundreds (or possibly thousands) of terracotta votive tablets dating to the Pyu era, including 2 tablets of later vintage from the King Anawrahta of Bagan (r. 1044-77) who opened the stupa following his conquest of the city and re-enshrined its chief relic in Bagan. The brickwork of the pagoda is undressed, though according to Elizabeth Moore its notched placement suggests that it was once covered in stucco. Crd:Internet