Kusinara Ingyin Tawya Phaya (ကုသိနာရုံ အင်ကြင်းတောရ ဘုရား)

Burmese. Name of a Buddhist semi-gu style cave temple in Mandalay, located at the foot of Mandalay Hill (fig.). It is named after Kushinara, i.e. the place in North India where the Buddha died and where his remains were cremated and divided up among eight kings. Whereas in Burmese Phaya means ‘temple’ or ‘pagoda’, Ingyin Tawya translates as ‘Wild Sala Tree’, i.e. the tree under which the Buddha is said to have died, reportedly stretched out between two such trees. The cave temple consists of arched rooms, with white walls and ceilings that are decorated with bas-reliefs of tree trunks and branches with gilded leaves, aimed at representing a forest of sala trees, as well as some gilded animals, such as birds and lizards. The main hall houses a reclining Buddha in the pahng saiyaat pose during his parinippahn, depicting the Buddha's moment of his demise (fig.), reminiscent of the reclining Buddha image at the Mahaparinirvana Temple in Kushinara. Flanking and in front of the reclining Buddha image in Kusinara Ingyin Tawya Phaya are some statues of different types of followers of the Buddha, seated on their knees while worshipping the Buddha, including some monks, a brahmin, a yak, and a hermit. Most are performing a wai gesture, with the hands brought together to pay respect (fig.).  In the backside, seated under a white and golden hti, is a statue  of U Khanti (fig.), the tapathi or hermit, who in the late 19th to early 20th century AD maintained Mandalay Hill, where some relics of the Buddha are kept and which has the Buddhist temple Sutaungpyay Phaya (fig.) on its summit, and for 40 years organized religious activities. As such, this hermit is also associated with Kusinara Ingyin Tawya Phaya, where after his dead on 14 January 1949 at the age of 80 and the consequent funeral 2 years later, his coffin and the reuan prasat funeral cart used prior to his cremation, was placed. See MAP. 回