Apalyadana Temple

The Nanpaya Temple stands out because of its heavy stone masonry, which is unusual in a landscape dominated by brick. Its walls feature thick sandstone blocks intricately carved with images of the god Brahma. King Anawrahta reportedly held a captive Mon king, Makuta, in this very structure after conquering the kingdom of Thaton in the eleventh century. The prisoner carved these elaborate panels himself, leaving behind a permanent mark of his forced residence within these walls while he awaited his uncertain fate.