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There are countless types of temples in Old Bagan. In fact, all the temples here are numbered for identification. Perhaps this is an administrative measure. However, quite a few have distinctive characteristics, perhaps because they belonged to a popular king or simply because of their distinctive shape.
One of them is That Bin Nyu Temple. Did you know that this temple has a unique characteristic and is the only one tallest here? Although Dhammayangyi is famous for the story of its king who never finished building a magnificent temple, That Bin Nyu is different. This is the tallest temple in Old Bagan, That Bin Nyu.
Because of its fame, this temple is also the most visited. In the surrounding area, That Bin Nyu Temple is a very interesting area with lots of entertainment, one of which is a horse-drawn carriage ride with a driver to tour the temple. However, I didn't ride a horse because I was only stopping here briefly.
Right in front, you can take a photo of the entire temple, but it's actually quite far away. It's about 500 meters high so you can take photos of the entire temple, as it's truly a very tall temple. Unlike the others, the walls and entire exterior are cover in white cement, although the basic building remains the original teracotta clay bricks of Old Bagan.
The entire temple is immaculately maintain and free of weeds. It's even shade by the many shady trees surround it, often provide shade for people who sell local food. Because it's so busy, you'll see many locals, as well as tourists from various parts of Myanmar.
At That Bin Nyu, there are only two main entrances, located in the south and north. You can't enter through all four, but that might have been the case when I go there. The temple is quite large and busy, so it's organized. However, there are not any large Buddha statues like the large and more famous temples like Dhammayangyi and Pyathegyi temple, which do have quite large Buddha statues inside.
The sheer number of worshippers at this temple is enough to astonish me, and I very curious to learn the story behind it. Or perhaps it belong to a wise king in the past? It feels so sad that there is nothing I can know about this temple other than it has the tallest building here.