Myanmar / Burma Travel Update
Since I was there, the situation in Myanmar/Burma has changed a lot. In February 2021, a military coup sparked widespread civil unrest and armed conflict.
The U.S. State Department currently advises: "Do not travel to Burma due to civil unrest and armed conflict." You can find their full travel advisory and security alerts here. And you can find the British Foreign Office's travel advice for Myanmar / Burma here.
Htilominlo Temple is a large, two-story temple in the northern part of the Bagan plain. It dates to the 12th to 13th centuries and is best known for its ornate stucco decoration, especially the patterns on the ceilings of the interior arches.
The temple gets its name from umbrellas, one of the core symbols of Buddhism, denoting protection. Legend has it that the king stood a white umbrella in the middle of his five sons and declared that whichever the umbrella tilted toward was the one deserving to be his successor. It fell towards his youngest son, Zeyatheinhka, who later had Htilominlo built in tribute.1
Like many of the larger temples, its decorations were added subsequently over the centuries. Htilominlo Temple features a number of depictions of the 28 Buddhas, some of them in striking red ink, that date from between the 14th and 18th centuries.
Photos of Htilominlo Temple
What To Know Before You Go
Htilominlo Temple is to the northeast of Old Bagan village, on the northern edge of most of the temples on the plain.
Map
More to Check Out
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- David M. Stadtner, Ancient Pagan: Buddhist Plain of Merit (Bangkok: River Books, 2013) p.208 [↩]
