Shwegugyi Temple
ရွှေဂူကြီး ဘုရား
Religion
Location
LocationBagan
CountryMyanmar
Shown within Myanmar
Architecture
FounderKing Sithu I
Groundbreaking17 May 1331
Completed17 December 1331
The Shwegugyi Temple (Burmese: ရွှေဂူကြီး ဘုရား, pronounced [ʃwèɡùdʑí pʰəjá]; literally, "Great Golden Cave") is a Theravada Buddhisttemple in Bagan, Myanmar. The temple is recognized as Monument #1589 in the Bagan Archeological Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Located just to the southeast of what apparently were the ruins of the former royal palace founded by King Kyansittha (r. 1084–1113), the temple was built by King Sithu I of Pagan (Bagan) in 1131. According to the stone inscriptions at the temple, set up in 1141, construction work on the temple began on 17 May 1331, and was completed on 17 December 1331. Built on an expansive 3 m (9.8 ft) tall brick foundation, the temple is known for its arched windows, and fine stucco and carved wooden doors in the interior.
