As I noted in my write up on the Ananda temple in Bagan, in historical times most of the south east Asian countries e.g. Vietnam (The Cham or Champa empire), Cambodia/Laos and Thailand (First Funan and then the Khmer empire), Indonesia (Tarumanagara kingdom, later the Srivijaya and Majapahit empires), Malaysia ( Langkasuka and Old Kedah kingdoms), were influenced by or ruled by Hindu kings and emperors before Buddhism or Islam spread there. And even after all those countries became either Buddhist or Muslim, the Hindu cultural influences remained visible in the relics of ancient temples, by being woven in local myths and legends (borrowed from epics like Ramayana or Mahabharata), in arts, crafts and architecture and even in the names of people. However, although it is the closest to India, you see very little of Hindu religious or cultural after effects in Myanmar. Perhaps the most visible Hindu influence one can see is on both of the names of the country, Burma as the English called it and Myanmar both are derived "Brahma"desh named after a Hindu god.
Even in a place like Bagan - a city that has ten thousand temples in a small area - you find the remains of only one Hindu temple called Nat Hlaung Kyaung. And as we will see according to the most dominant legend, that temple seems to have been built for a specific purpose!
It is not clearly established when exactly it was built or who built it. Although it is accepted that it is among the oldest temples built in Bagan. Some claim it was built by king Nyaung-u Sawrahan (also called Taunghthugyi Min) in the middle of the 10th century. Sawrahan is the earliest king of the dynasty that was to go on to create the mighty Pagan empire, whose existence has been verified through hard evidence independent of folklore or legends. It is during his reign that the creation of the Burmese script as we see it today is also supposed to have begun.
While other experts place the construction of this temple a century later in the reign of king Anawrahta, the founder of the Pagan empire who was also instrumental in the spread of Theravada Buddhism to Myanmar.
But the more interesting part is the name of the temple, which has sprouted some interesting speculations about the reasons for its existence. Literally the name of the temple Nat-Hlaung-Kyaung means "Shrine Confining the Spirits". But it has been said that it was also called "Nat-daw-Kyaung" or "Shrine of the sacred spirit".
As I noted in an earlier article about the Shwezigon pagoda, the word "Nat" is apporximately translated as "Sacred Spirit". Strictly speaking in Buddha's teachings there are no gods or divine entities and certainly no decree or edict requiring its adherents to worship anything or anyone. But in practice you will find that local variations of Buddhist practices include such divine beings - for example, Vasundhara (the earth goddess) or Mucalinda (the king of Serpents) in Arunachal Pradesh Theravada Buddhist practices or Goddess Tara in Tibetan Buddhism.
Similarly "Nat" is a sometimes confusing "divine" entity of some kind that has most likely been borrowed in the Theravada Buddhism practiced in Myanmar, either from Hindu pantheon of gods or from some regional belief systems which pre-date the spread of Buddhism. However where "Nats" find a place in pagodas or temples, they always occupy a secondary position. Sometimes they are positioned as a guardian spirits but sometimes they also feared - i.e. something that you want to appease to so that it does not cause you any harm and not because it will do you some good!
In keeping with this (negative) view one of the most often told legend says that, King Anawrahta built the temple (or used an existing temple) to "imprison" all the non-Buddhist "spirits" ("Nat"s) inside, so that they will not be able to hinder his acts to promote Buddhism and spread it all over in Myanmar. That is why it is called Nat-Hlaung-Kyaung i.e. "Shrine Confining the Spirits"
Whereas another folktale says that the King (either Anawrahta or Sawrahan a century earlier) built it to please a section of his Hindu subjects. And that is why it is called "Nat-daw-Kyaung" i.e. "Shrine of the sacred spirit".
According to some experts, these discrepancies in "why the temple was built and what it's original name was", are perhaps indicative of a struggle for supremacy between adherents of the two religions when Buddhism came to Myanmar and found Hindu beliefs already entrenched.
Anyway, Buddhism received royal endorsement and patronage from King Anawrahta and spread everywhere. But the interesting part fact is that this struggle seems to have (a) Acknowledged the divinity of the non Buddhist "spirits" and incorporated them in its own pantheon - albeit with an inferior status (in fact one historian, Paul Strachan, translates the word "Nat" as "Deva" instead of "Spirit") and (b) Sought to confine them to a shrine rather than try to destroy them and their places of worship!
That sort of "acceptance" or "tolerance" is quite evident in fact all over south east Asia - for example in Cambodia you find that temples have changed their character from Hindu to Buddhist and back and forth according to the reigning monarch's religious allegiance but at the most such shifts resulted in the primary deity of the temple being shifted to a side chamber. The "out-of-favor" deities continued to be worshiped and managed with all the due reverence without being destroyed.
In any case for a tourist (and an atheist to boot) like me what is fascinating is the monuments and art that has been left behind by the ancients and the drama of the colorful myths surrounding their creation.
The size of the Nat Hlaung Kyaung must have been considerable. All that stands today is the main hall with only a few of the statues of Vishnu.
Once it had statues of all 10 avatars of Vishnu (interestingly, including Buddha as one of the avatars - Although the inclusion of Buddha amongst the avatars of Vishnu has always invited controversy and suspicion especially in India, it seems to have been accepted practice in the 10th century!). And even through its decrepit appearance today, the superb quality craftsmanship in its decorations and statues is unmistakable.
Here are then a few photos of this temple that is one-of-a-kind among the 10000 temples in Bagan, Myanmar taken in Dec 2017.
And the last photo is a typical skyline in Bagan where the silhouette of a row of temples is never out of sight!
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