Buddhist monasteries · The kingdom of Pagan under Narapatisithu · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Manuha and Nanpaya

English Wikipedia says the captive Mon king Manuha built the Manuha temple in 1067, according to his inscriptions, with three seated Buddhas and a reclining Buddha entering parinirvana, and credits the name Manuha to a corruption of Makuta.

The Nanpaya next door is believed to be Manuha's, and a tradition says it was his residence in captivity; the page calls it one of the oldest Hindu structures in the Bagan zone, with Brahma on a lotus on the four central pillars, Vishnu on Garuda and Vishnu reclining on Shesha, in brick, stone and mud mortar, with the Mon hamsa bird in the decoration. It gives no date for the Nanpaya. The Mon royal line is treated on the court record; what the temples hold in 1200 is not recorded.

Who holds it

Name
Manuha's line (see Manuha's descendants at Myinkaba); keepers not known
Title
Heirs of the captive king and keepers
Since
1067 (Manuha temple)
Born
not known
Family
Manuha, the last Mon king of Thaton, brought to Pagan by Anawrahta (chronicle).
Confidence
low

English Wikipedia, Manuha Temple and Nanpaya Temple (citing Coedes and the Pictorial Guide to Pagan).

What it holds

  • The two temples; no estate known

How things stand that morning

Two old temples of the Mon captive's house, one Buddhist, one Brahmanical in its images.

Places of note

  • The Manuha: Temple of the captive king.
  • The Nanpaya: Brahmanical temple.

Where the sources disagree

  • Brief: not on the campaign board. Included for the Mon royal link and the Brahmanical images. Page coordinates: Manuha 21.1534, 94.8592; Nanpaya 21.1525, 94.8588.

Evidence: Short pages; the Manuha date rests on the king's own inscriptions as relayed; the Nanpaya is undated.

"The campaign board" is OMNIA's working map. These notes record where its earlier claims were checked against the sources.

Primary sources for Kingdom of Pagan

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

Sources and studies

  1. English Wikipedia, Manuha Temple
  2. English Wikipedia, Nanpaya Temple
  3. English Wikipedia, Bagan

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.