Kalyani Ordination Hall, Bago

Kalyani Ordination Hall is a Buddhist ordination hall located in Bago, Myanmar.

The ordination hall is a major pilgrimage site, and houses the Kalyani Inscriptions, a set of 10 sandstone pillars inscribed in Pali and Mon in 1480. The inscriptions are important records of Theravada Buddhist history and of that era.

The ordination hall was first built by King Dhammazedi of the Hanthawaddy Kingdom in 1476 to re-ordain the kingdom's Buddhist monks, in an effort to purify the kingdom's Sangha, which had undergone several internal schisms. To this end, in 1476, Dhammazedi sent 22 senior monks and their disciples to Sri Lanka, where they were re-ordained at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara. After the monks had returned, Dhammazedi built the Kalyani Ordination Hall.

The ordination hall was destroyed several times. Portuguese explorers burnt the structure in 1599, and King Alaungpaya destroyed the hall during his invasion of Bago in 1757. The ordination hall was also destroyed by fires and earthquakes, including an earthquake in 1930 that levelled the structure completely. The extant ordination hall was reconstructed in 1954.

Road sign directing to Kalyani Ordination Hall.

Entrance gate to the Ordination Hall.
The entrance gate is located north of the Ordination Hall.

Upper arch of the entrance gate.
Above the arch we can see two lions holding a shield with the map of Myanmar.

Above the shield is a small stupa.

One of the two lions that guard the entrance gate.
Chinthe is the Burmese word for 'lion'. The leograph of Chinthe is a highly stylized lion commonly depicted in Burmese iconography and architecture, especially as a pair of guardians flanking the entrances of Buddhist pagodas and kyaung (or Buddhist monasteries).

The leograph of Chinthe appears as an element of Burmese iconography on many revered objects, including the palin (Burmese royal throne) and Burmese bells.
See more at Chinthe - Wikipedia.

Walking along the covered path.
Walking along the covered path that goes from the entrance gate to the Ordination Hall.

Small shrine next to the path.
The entrance to this small sanctuary is protected by two nat spirits, one on each side of the entrance.

Door to the Ordination Hall.

Entering the Ordination Hall.

General view of the interior of the Ordination Hall.
We can see the Buddha statue in the center and the nat spirits positioned on each of the pillars.

The upper niches have small golden statues inside.
View from west to east.

General view of the Ordination Hall from the Buddha statue.
View from east to west.

Buddha statue under the Bodhi tree.
Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher who became known as the Buddha, is said to have attained enlightenment or buddhahood circa 500 BCE under this tree.

Statue of one of the nat spirits.
This nat spirit has a small stupa over its head, like most nat spirits in the Ordination Hall. These nat spirits do the Anjali mudra with their hands as a sign of respect or a silent greeting.

Only four nat spirits, in the four corners of the room, have a headdress different from this one.
The four nat spirits of the four corners offer conch shells with their hands.
The conch shell is said to represent Buddha's beautiful and resonant voice, through which he introduced his followers to dharma.