21°09′37″N94°54′06.3″E / 21.16028°N 94.901750°E /21.16028; 94.901750
| Lemyethna Temple | |
|---|---|
Burmese: လေးမျက်နှာ ဂူဘုရား | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Status | Open |
| Location | |
| Location | Bagan,Myanmar |
| Country | Myanmar |
 Interactive map of Lemyethna Temple | |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | Ananda Thuriya |
| Completed | 1222 |
Lemyethna Temple (Burmese:လေးမျက်နှာ ဂူဘုရား), also known asLemyethna Pagoda or theTemple of the Four Faces, is 13th-century Buddhist temple inBagan,Myanmar. Built in 1222 by thePagan Empire, the temple remains in regular use.
Lemyethna temple was built in 1222 or 1223 in Bagan, near the village of Min Nanthu.[1] Archaeological evidence suggests that the temple was built on top of a foundation erected by thePyu civilization,[2][3] which had ruled Bagan before the formation of thePagan Empire. The temple was sponsored byAnanda Thuriya,[4] a minister ofKing Htilominlo, who was himself a prolific builder of temples.[5] The building was one of the last temples built by thePagan dynasty of Myanmar, which went into decline after Htilominlo's death.[5]
At the time of the temple's dedication, it housed a number of Buddhist relics and contained murals depicting Buddhist scenes. Ananda Thuriya also inscribed prayers on the temple. The structure is a single story tall, and is surrounded by four porches. The temple also has a large centralstupa.[1]
The temple's condition decline over the centuries, and frequent whitewashing of the temple damaged some of the original murals. The government of Myanmar repaired parts of the temple in 1961, and the temple remains in regular use.[6]
