Htukkanthein Temple

Stone temple with a spiral corridor lined with 16th-century Buddhas

A short walk west of Shite-thaung, Htukkanthein ("ordination temple") was built in 1571 by King Min Phalaung. From outside it looks like a squat fortress on top of a stepped plinth, with a single low entrance facing east. Inside, a single corridor spirals up and inward to the central shrine, lined the whole way with 146 seated stone Buddha images each in a niche.

The carvings depict not just Buddhas but donors, court figures, dancers and soldiers — together they amount to a portrait gallery of 16th-century Rakhine society. Each Buddha sits on a lotus throne with its own donor inscribed beneath. The dim interior, the spiral floor plan and the steady accumulation of Buddhas as you climb make this one of the most atmospheric of Mrauk-U's temples.

things to do sight architecture
A story
The Htukkanthein corridor narrows and rises in a slow spiral toward the inner shrine — a deliberate architectural device intended to make the pilgrim feel, by the time they reach the Buddha, that they have ascended a small mountain. The 146 stone Buddhas lining the walls each have slightly different hairstyles and facial expressions, evidence of Rakhine artisans showing off.