# Pyatthat > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pyatthat > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Pyatthat.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyatthat > Source revision: 1325691813 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Multistaged Burmese roof with odd number of tiers}} {{Contains special characters|Burmese}} thumb|An example of a pyathat-roofed building at Wat Srichum in Lampang, Thailand [[File:Great Audience Hall, Mandalay.jpg|thumb|The [Mandalay Palace](/source/Mandalay_Palace)'s Great Audience Hall features a prominent seven-tiered pyatthat.]] '''Pyatthat''' ({{langx|my|ပြာသာဒ်}}, {{IPA|my|pjaʔθaʔ|IPA}}; from Sanskrit {{IAST|prāsāda}}; {{langx|mnw|တန်ဆံၚ်}} {{IPA|mnw|tan.cʰi̤ŋ|IPA}}; also spelt '''pyathat''') is the name of a multistaged roof, with an odd number of tiers (from three to seven).{{Cite journal|last=Hla|first=U Kan|year=1977|title=Pagan: Development and Town Planning|jstor=989143|journal=Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians|volume=36|issue=1|pages=15–29|doi=10.2307/989143}} The pyatthat is commonly incorporated into Burmese Buddhist and royal architecture (e.g., [kyaung](/source/kyaung)s, palace buildings, pagodas) and towers above the image of the Buddha or other sacred places (e.g., royal thrones and city gates). ==Construction== The pyatthat is made of successive gabled rectangular roofs in an exaggerated pyramidal shape, with an intervening box-like structure called the ''lebaw'' ({{lang|my|လည်ပေါ်}}) between each roof. The pyatthat is crowned with a wooden spire called the ''taing bu'' ({{lang|my|တိုင်ဖူး}}) or ''kun bu'' ({{lang|my|ကွန်းဖူး}}) depending on its shape, similar to the [hti](/source/hti), 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'' ({{lang|my|တုရင်}}) at the corners (analogous to the Thai ''[chofah](/source/chofah)''). There are three primary kinds of pyatthat, with the variation being the number of tiers called ''boun'' ({{lang|my|ဘုံ}}, from Pali ''bhumi''). Three-tiered, five-tiered and seven-tiered roofs are called ''yahma'', ''thooba'', and ''thooyahma'', respectively.{{cite book |title=The Burman, His Life and Notions |last=Scott |first=James George |year=1910 |publisher=BiblioBazaar |isbn=978-1-115-23195-4 |page=126 }} ==History== [[File:021 Temple Scene, Kyauktawgyi, Amarapura.jpg|thumb|A mural scene depicting a brick pyatthat roofed structure in [Inwa](/source/Inwa).]] The usage of the pyatthat began early in Burmese architecture, with examples dating to the [Pagan period](/source/Pagan_dynasty).{{cite book |title=Imperial Pagan: art and architecture of Burma |last=Strachan |first=Paul |year=1990 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |isbn=978-0-8248-1325-3 }} Prominent examples from this era that feature the pyatthat include the [Ananda Temple](/source/Ananda_Temple) and [Gawdawpalin Temple](/source/Gawdawpalin_Temple) In pre-colonial Burma, the pyatthat was a prominent feature in the royal buildings, which itself symbolized [Tavatimsa](/source/Tavatimsa), a Buddhist heaven. Above the main throne in the king's primary audience hall was a nine-tiered pyatthat, with the tip representing [Mount Meru](/source/Mount_Meru) ({{lang|my|မြင်းမိုရ်}}) and the lower six tiers representing the six abodes of the [deva](/source/Deva_(Buddhism))s and of [humans](/source/humans).{{cite book |title=Essays on Burma |last=Ferguson |first=John |year=1981 |publisher=Brill Archive |isbn=978-90-04-06323-5 |page=53 }} 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.{{Cite journal|last=Michael|first=Aung-Thwin|year=1986|title=Heaven, Earth, and the Supernatural World: Dimensions of the Exemplary Center in Burmese History|journal=[Journal of Developing Societies](/source/Journal_of_Developing_Societies)|volume=2|id={{ProQuest|1307834694}}}} In pre-colonial Burma, [sumptuary laws](/source/Sumptuary_law) restricted the usage of pyatthats to royal and religious buildings,{{Cite book|title=Burmese Crafts: Past and Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vx3rAAAAMAAJ|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195886085|language=en|first=Sylvia|last=Fraser-Lu|year=1994}} and regulated the number of tiers appertaining to each grade of official rank,{{Cite book|title=Wood Carving Of Burma|last=Tilly|first=Henry L.|publisher=Superintendent, Government Printing|year=1903|location=Burma}} The nine-tiered pyatthat was reserved solely for the kingdom's sovereign, while the [sawbwa](/source/sawbwa)s of important tributary states were entitled to seven-tiered pyatthats.{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/burmaunderbritis01nisb|title=Burma Under British Rule--and Before|last=Nisbet|first=John|publisher=A. Constable|year=1901|language=en}} ==Gallery== File:King Mindon's Tomb, Mandalay.jpg|King Mindon's Tomb, Mandalay File:Mandalay Palace entrance.JPG|Mandalay Palace entrance File:Mandalay palace 10.jpg|Mandalay palace File:King Thibaw's State Barge on the Mandalay Moat.jpg|King Thibaw's State Barge on the Mandalay Moat ==References== {{reflist}} ==See also== {{commons category|Pyatthats}} *[Prasat (Thai architecture)](/source/Prasat_(Thai_architecture)) *[Prang (architecture)](/source/Prang_(architecture)) *[Meru tower](/source/Meru_tower) *[Kyaung](/source/Kyaung) Category:Roofs Category:Burmese Buddhist architecture --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Pyatthat](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyatthat) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyatthat?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.