Koe-thaung is one of the most worth-visiting places and also the largest one in Mrauk U. It was constructed in 1553 by King Min Dikkha, the son of King Min Bin who built the Shite-thaung to gain religious merit. This tradition of donating religious buildings was popular from royal family ancestors in Myanmar.
Koe-thaung means ‘shrines of the 90,000 images of the Buddha’. It has been partly restored since the excavation works in 1996. Koe-thaung temple is surrounded by 5 receding terraces where hold hundreds of small stupas. Its entrance leads to a long vaulted passageway, spiraling through the interior towards the central chamber. Along the passageway stand various large images of the Buddha seated on a pedestal at regular intervals. For Buddhist followers, it is ritual to walk around the central image three times and keep the image to the right at all times.
Due to the short construction period and low construction quality, some sections have partly collapsed and show large cracks in the stone walls. Therefore, a temporary roof has been built to protect the passageway from rain
Several non-structural remains have been found during excavation works, including hundreds of stone and terracotta oil lamps for illuminating the dark interior. The temple is of great value for archaeologists because it is believed that there are treasures like sculptures, artworks, and jewelry buried underneath.
, Mrauk U