Constructed 1311
Merit of King Thiha Thu of Pinya, (r. 1311-1323) a.k.a Hsin Byushin Lord of the White Elephant
Built 24 years after the fall of Bagan, the Hsin Byushin Complex of temple, pagoda, water tank and monasteries is situated within a 777 ft by 865 ft walled compound.
The name of the pagoda complex means Lord of the White Elephant, the title of King Thiha Thu. He founded Pinya in April of 1311 and was the youngest of the three Shan-Bamar brothers and one who repelled the Mongol forces at Myinsaing in 1301.
One of the five stone inscriptions in the entrance hall, dated early Nadaw Month, 673 ME (December 1311) in archaic Bamar language recorded the merit of ‘the great ruler of the Golden Kingdom called Pinya, the Hsin Byu Thakin (Master of the White Elephant)’.
A cave pagoda slightly to the front of the temple has colourful wall paintings, with many touches of green. There are a few two-storey brick monasteries some distance away from the temple.
It is probably the most tranquil place among Bagan temples, a fitting symbol of the passing of Bagan’s former military might into a realm of peace it is today.