Narathihapatae hpaya (Tayote Pyae)

The Tayote Pyae temple features a unique, elongated vaulted hall that points toward the sky, setting it apart from the blockier, tiered pagodas nearby. King Narathihapatae commissioned this structure in the late thirteenth century as his power began to crumble. When the Mongol army threatened his empire, the king fled his capital in panic. Local legends claim he retreated into this very temple, hiding while his forces abandoned the city to the invaders. The temple remains a record of that desperate, final royal flight.