Number of Pagodas in Bagan

Regarding the number of pagodas and monuments in Bagan, there is the traditional figure which was composed like a rhymed couplet for memorization. It runs thus:

     "Hie Win Yoe Than Ta Nyan Nyan Bagan Paya Paung"

We should translate into figures only the four words in the first line because the remaining two lines are meant for rhyming with the first line. The four words in the first line give us the figure 4446. If we include in our translation the words in the other two lines, we will get an astronomical figure of pagodas which Bagan area could not accommodate.

The calculated number of Bagan pagodas registered in the reign of King Mo Hnyin Mintara of Inwa Period was

     "Win Win Htein Hlyan"

which if converted into figure is 4474. This figure is quite close to the traditional figure.

There was yet another rhyme of later time which composed the total figure of Bagan pagodas. It is as follows:

     "Myat Paya Su Ye Hpyu Shwe Lo Win Bagan Pyi

      Bei taing Hta Ni Hma San Ma Hmi Lun Htin Sha Saw Mu Ni Mya"

If you translate this rhyme in a reverse order you will get the figure 4445 which has the difference of only one less than the traditional figure.

According to the Inventory of Bagan Pagodas made by the Archeology Department the total number is

" Kyaung Kyi Oak Ni"

which means 2217.