Pyatthat

<h2 id="construction">Construction</h2>
The pyatthat is made of successive gabled rectangular roofs in an exaggerated pyramidal shape, with an intervening box-like structure called the lebaw (လည်ပေါ်) between each roof.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a> The pyatthat is crowned with a wooden spire called the taing bu (တိုင်ဖူး) or kun bu (ကွန်းဖူး) depending on its shape, similar to the <a href="/facts/Hti/IhR2Uczk">hti</a>, an umbrella ornament that crowns Burmese pagodas. The edges of each tier are gold-gilded decorative designs made of metal sheet, with decorative ornaments called du yin (တုရင်) at the corners (analogous to the Thai <a href="/facts/Chofah/U1GEmKK6">chofah</a>). There are three primary kinds of pyatthat, with the variation being the number of tiers called boun (ဘုံ, from Pali bhumi). Three-tiered, five-tiered and seven-tiered roofs are called yahma, thooba, and thooyahma, respectively.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a>

<h2 id="history">History</h2>

The usage of the pyatthat began early in Burmese architecture, with examples dating to the <a href="/facts/Pagan_dynasty/YKt63eoD">Pagan period</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a> Prominent examples from this era that feature the pyatthat include the <a href="/facts/Ananda_Temple/22vqdyEY">Ananda Temple</a> and <a href="/facts/Gawdawpalin_Temple/1I1181sU">Gawdawpalin Temple</a>
In pre-colonial Burma, the pyatthat was a prominent feature in the royal buildings, which itself symbolized <a href="/facts/Tavatimsa/dS2onF1A">Tavatimsa</a>, a Buddhist heaven. Above the main throne in the king's primary audience hall was a nine-tiered pyatthat, with the tip representing <a href="/facts/Mount_Meru/peohnzke">Mount Meru</a> (မြင်းမိုရ်) and the lower six tiers representing the six abodes of the <a href="/facts/Deva_(Buddhism)/b0RU5mu6">devas</a> and of <a href="/facts/Humans/rlcTENsr">humans</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a> Furthermore, the 12 city gates of Burmese royal capitals were crowned with pyatthats, with the main ones used by royalty possessing five tiers, and the others possessing five tiers.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a>
In pre-colonial Burma, sumptuary laws restricted the usage of pyatthats to royal and religious buildings,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a> and regulated the number of tiers appertaining to each grade of official rank,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a> The nine-tiered pyatthat was reserved solely for the kingdom's sovereign, while the <a href="/facts/Sawbwa/1A9VqJqu">sawbwas</a> of important tributary states were entitled to seven-tiered pyatthats.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a>

<h2 id="gallery">Gallery</h2>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pyatthats.

<ul><li><a href="/facts/Prasat_(Thai_architecture)/LrlzKufU">Prasat (Thai architecture)</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Prang_(architecture)/PuuYN6zw">Prang (architecture)</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Meru_tower/MhpjUofL">Meru tower</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Kyaung/tgdDXUHv">Kyaung</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">Hla, U Kan (1977). "Pagan: Development and Town Planning". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 36 (1): 15–29. doi:10.2307/989143. JSTOR 989143. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Hla, U Kan (1977). "Pagan: Development and Town Planning". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 36 (1): 15–29. doi:10.2307/989143. JSTOR 989143. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">Hla, U Kan (1977). "Pagan: Development and Town Planning". Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians. 36 (1): 15–29. doi:10.2307/989143. JSTOR 989143. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">Scott, James George (1910). The Burman, His Life and Notions. BiblioBazaar. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-115-23195-4. <a href="978-1-115-23195-4" target="_blank">978-1-115-23195-4</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Strachan, Paul (1990). Imperial Pagan: art and architecture of Burma. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1325-3. <a href="978-0-8248-1325-3" target="_blank">978-0-8248-1325-3</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">Ferguson, John (1981). Essays on Burma. Brill Archive. p. 53. ISBN 978-90-04-06323-5. <a href="978-90-04-06323-5" target="_blank">978-90-04-06323-5</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">Michael, Aung-Thwin (1986). "Heaven, Earth, and the Supernatural World: Dimensions of the Exemplary Center in Burmese History". Journal of Developing Societies. 2. ProQuest 1307834694. <a href="/wiki/Journal_of_Developing_Societies" target="_blank">/wiki/Journal_of_Developing_Societies</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Fraser-Lu, Sylvia (1994). Burmese Crafts: Past and Present. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195886085. <a href="9780195886085" target="_blank">9780195886085</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">Tilly, Henry L. (1903). Wood Carving Of Burma. Burma: Superintendent, Government Printing. <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">Nisbet, John (1901). Burma Under British Rule--and Before. A. Constable. <a href="https://archive.org/details/burmaunderbritis01nisb" target="_blank">https://archive.org/details/burmaunderbritis01nisb</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Pyatthat open-in-new

Pyatthat