Talok () is a group of four villages in Myingyan Township of

Mandalay Region Mandalay Region (, ; formerly Mandalay Division) is an administrative divisions of Myanmar, administrative division of Myanmar. It is located in the center of the country, bordering Sagaing Region and Magway Region to the west, Shan State to the ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. It is located east of the

Irrawaddy river The Irrawaddy River (, , Ayeyarwady) is the principal river of Myanmar, running through the centre of the country. Myanmar’s most important commercial waterway, it is about 1,350 miles (2,170 km) long. Originating from the confluence of the ...

. There are several historical sites at Talok, including a couple of temple ruins dating back to the

Bagan Bagan ( ; ; formerly Pagan) is an ancient city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that w ...

period (11th-13th centuries). The Thonpanhla pagoda, which is a prominent pilgrimage center, is also located here.

Geography

Talok is a cluster of four adjacent villages: Talok Myo proper, Myogyigon, Myaukywalay, and Ye-daing. It is east of the Irrawaddy River. Immediately east and west of the village cluster are a couple of seasonal lakes (''in-gyi''), and a canal goes from the northeast corner of Myogyigon and then goes east for about before meeting the Pyusawhti Dam.

History

According to tradition, Talok existed as a cluster of four villages until the time of the Mongol invasions around 1300. Ye-daing was supposedly founded in 1300 as Than-The-Kyut. At the turn of the 20th century, Talok was noted as the former headquarters of a '' wun''. Its population as of 1895-96 was about 3,080.

Thonpanhla pagoda

The most prominent active pagoda in the area today is Thonpanhla, which is located at the northern edge of Myogyigon. It is a popular pilgrimage destination. No

-era artifacts have been found at Thona Pan Hla, but an archaeological survey turned up some

Pyu Pyu, also spelled Phyu or Phyuu, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. is a town in Taungoo District, Bago Region in Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (th ...

-era brick fragments at the site, which belonged to an earlier structure. Local tradition connects the pagoda to both

Ashoka Ashoka, also known as Asoka or Aśoka ( ; , ; – 232 BCE), and popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was List of Mauryan emperors, Emperor of Magadha from until #Death, his death in 232 BCE, and the third ruler from the Mauryan dynast ...

's distribution of Buddhist relics in the 3rd century BCE, as well as to the legendary king

Pyusawhti Pyusawhti ( , ; also Pyuminhti, ) was a legendary king of Pagan Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar), who according to the Burmese chronicles supposedly reigned from 167 to 242 CE. The chronicles down to the 18th century had reported that Pyusawhti, a d ...

. At the southwest of the pagoda complex is a shed containing a collection of at least 14 stone inscriptions. The earliest one dates to 1239, and another one dated to 1294 contains a reference to the village of Ye-poke, near Sagu; Ye-poke has been noted for its Pyu-era archaeological finds. Also present is a contemporary inscription recording renovations done in 2008 and the planned construction of a Bodhigaya History Museum. The compound also has a number of contemporary statues, including ones of Ashoka and Pyusawhti along with many later Bagan kings, including

Shin Arahan The Venerable Shin Arahan ( ; formally, Dhammadassī Mahāthera, ; 1034 – 1115) was Thathanabaing of Burma of the Pagan Kingdom from 1056 to 1115. The monk, a native of Thaton Kingdom, was the religious adviser to four Pagan kings from ...

. The Shin Arahan statue was donated by U Ohn Maw and Daw Than Kyi at a cost of 200,000

kyat The kyat ( or ; ; ISO 4217 code MMK) is the currency of Myanmar (Burma). The typical notation for the kyat is "K" (singular) and "Ks." (plural), placed before the numerals followed by "/-". Amounts less than K. 1/- are typically denoted w ...

Other historical sites

The massive abandoned Lay-myet-hna temple is located some east of Thonpanhla and slightly to the south. It faces east and is stylistically dated to the late Bagan or early Pyinya period. There are also at least three large mounds nearby, running from north to south. Midway between Thonpanhla and Lay-myet-hna are the undated ruins of a roughly square walled area about on each side. At one place, this wall runs through a private residence. Farther south is another abandoned temple, called Hse-myet-hna. Located east of Ye-daing, it has 10 sides and an unusual two-story floorplan. Its long ground floor has many individual rooms, and there is also evidence that extra passageways were added at one point. The upper level has traces of four

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

s at the corners, as well as the 10-faced structure at its center. The Hse-myet-hna temple likely dates to the late Bagan period, with later renovations. South of Hse-myet-hna is a monastery compound with a stupa and a renovated three-story structure decorated with several role of ''bilu'' (ogres). Based on stylistic grounds, this structure may date to the 12th or 13th century.

References

{{Mandalay Division Populated places in Myingyan District Myingyan Township Archaeological sites in Myanmar