Sulamani Temple

The Sulamani is a large, very elegant multi storey structure from the late Bagan period. The temple was built during the reign of King Narapatisithu, a very prosperous time in Bagan. During his long reign several of Bagan’s most impressive monuments were built, such as the Dhammayazika and the Gawdawpalin temple.

Sulamani Temple built in 1183, though it went thru damaged twice during earthquake in 1975 & 2016, it still stands beautifully with a lot of wall paintings in its interior believed to be drawn on in the 18th century. Also there is one part of the wall where the paintings clearly from an later period and different artist...small and detailed.. I find it has lots of Chinese influence. This is a must go temple if you want to see something different like the wall paintings. You can see lots of Buddha painting, sitting and sleeping. Also lots of paintings of people offering flowers to the Buddha. There are also paintings of Buddha sitting and surrounded by snakes.

Whenever I reached Bagan land, feeling is so strange and free even though I was there so many times. It's always giving new and new again. The Sulamani is a large, very elegant multi storey structure from the late Bagan period. The temple was built during the reign of King Narapatisithu, a very prosperous time in Bagan. During his long reign several of Bagan’s most impressive monuments were built, such as the Dhammayazika and the Gawdawpalin temple.An inscribed stone in the North porch of the temple tells that King Narapatisithu found a small ruby at the spot where the Sulamani temple was later erected, hence the name of the temple, which means small ruby. The architectural style has many similarities with that of the Htilominlo temple, which was built a few decades later. The Sulamani is a two storey structure with a square layout. The large first floor is topped with three receding terraces. The upper floor which is much smaller is topped with another four receding terraces. The corners of both lower and upper terraces contain smaller spires. The top of the Sulamani comprises of a sikhara, a tower structure originating from North India. Unlike the one of the Ananda temple, the sikhara is not gilded. On top of that is the hti, a spire ornament shaped like an umbrella. The temple has entrance porches on all four sides. The Eastern porch which is the main entrance protrudes further out from the structure than the others. Apart from this, the structure is symmetrical. The Sulamani’s base and terraces contain beautiful glazed terracotta plaques with depictions of Jataka tales, the stories about the previous lives of the Buddha. It was customary for the most important and largest temples in Bagan to have a set of plaques with Jataka tales, of which there are 547 in total, in order to educate the people about Buddhism. It was destroyed some part by earthquake at 2016.

Grand and peculiar structure. There U Kyi Pwayt lake and ruin scenery of ancient monuments. Glaze and painting

One of the great temples in the archeological site in Bagan. Great architectures & huge construction. Tourists won't be able to visit it without own transportation

An imposing temple, lovely in the afternoon sunlight. Built by King Narapatisithu in 1183. Some well preserved or restored Buddahs. Also nice are the remnants of murals. I wish more was done to repair/reconstruct/preserve these paintings. There are repairs to the central spire in progress, hence the "green cap"

This temple has some great paintings - well preserved. What was interesting to see was that there seemed to be two layers of paintings from different times - and some script as well. Detailed paintings of stories with boats and people - we didn’t have a tour guide so not sure of the story behind it - would recommend going with one for the full experience.

Sulamani Temple is a very popular place for tourists in Bagan, especially those looking for a sunset to remember. The temple at dusk reflects the reddish hues of the setting sun. The bricks of the temple become surrealistically saturated. Visit the temple, but also make sure to walk around it because the area is filled with smaller structures that are less known but definitely just as memorable.