On the bank of the Ayeyarwady River (reached from the Nyaung U road, about 650ft northwest of the Mahabodhi Paya), this cylindrical Pyu-style stupa, named for bu (gourd), is said to date from the 3rd century, which makes it older than any Bagan temple. Most likely it was erected around the same time as the city walls (around 850).
What’s seen now – a gold stupa above a row of crenulated terraces leading down to the water – is a reconstruction; the 1975 earthquake demolished the original.
Off the road to the southeast is the Pebinkyaung Paya, a 12th-century pagoda built in a unique Sinhalese style.
