Shwe Gu Gyi Temple

The Shwe Gu Gyi Temple rises from a massive, thirteen-foot-high brick platform that makes the single-story structure appear to soar like a mushroom stemming from the ground. Commissioned by King Alaung Sithu and finished in the year eleven thirty-one, this temple sits near the site of the ancient royal palace. Its name translates to the Great Golden Cave, a description that highlights its design as a meditative, cavernous space built to house sacred images.