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In Pwasaw village, this locate in one of the Old Bagan districts, there is a pagoda that is almost 1,000 years old. This pagoda was built by a king who believe that a powerful person must have a pagoda as a sign of his position.
A position should be considered supreme, so he created a beautiful pagoda. It is built in a circular shape and has three lower terraces. The pagoda is primarily made of terracotta, based on the Jataka story (I read this from an information board).
The Dhammayazika building looks simple from the outside, but it is actually quite spacious. It consists of a main hall, three terraces, and several stupas. Inside, there is a seated Buddha statue coat in gold paint made from bronze or iron, but it is not real gold. Gold Buddha statues are rare in Old Bagan, cause almost all Buddha statues are made of stone, cement, and terracotta. So, this is clearly a restore Buddha statue.
I stood on one of the terraces of the Dhammayazika pagoda. All parts of the pagoda are still stable and undamaged. Only a few have collapsed, and those are small sections, not the main part of the pagoda.
It's truly a pleasure to be in Old Bagan. The locals are very friendly. Many people even say Balinese people are friendly, and here they are even friendlier. Especially if you find a local who speaks a little English, he'll tell you about the pagoda's history for free. They're so friendly, and they want to return to life as it was before the military coup. Honestly, they used to make a very good living off the tourists.
Of course, Old Bagan was a historical landmark during the previous dynasties. One of them is this city. Like Egypt, Old Bagan also have a glorious past, especially during the arrival of Buddhism in Burma.
Can you see the golden Buddha statue guard by two guards in front of it? That's the most important place here. There are four Buddha statues locate in the east, west, south, and north. These four serve as the center of worship for those who pray at this pagoda?
When I visited Dhammayazaka, there were very few people, but it seemed like many of them were local tourists. I can't imagine what it would be like if Old Bagan were so easily accessible. Wow, that sounds like it would be really interesting. I'll wait for that time, come back here again and experience a new vibe. Surely it will happen someday.