The Dhammarazaka Pagoda in the Bagan cultural heritage area was damaged by lightning strikes at 3:45 pm on 17 September, and it will be renovated as soon as possible, according to U Kyaw Myo Win, Director and In-charge of the Department of Archaeology and National Museum (Bagan).
These lightning strikes at Dhammarazaka Pagoda caused the gold plate around the Pagoda’s circular decorative band between the bell and the lotus petals to turn black without any bricks falling apart, and there was no damage to other ancient buildings in the Bagan cultural heritage area.
Additionally, there was heavy rain in the Bagan cultural heritage area on the night of 16 September, but there was no flooding because there was good water flow in the tanks and drains.
“On the night of 16 September, there was heavy rain in Bagan. There was a significant amount of water, although the rainfall duration was not long. One-fourth of the moat was filled with water. The water flowed directly into the tanks without pooling on the floors of the Ananda Temple and the Shwezigon Temple. The walls of the Culamani Temple were not waterlogged as the water flowed into the drains through the original water outlets,” said U Kyaw Myo Win. — ASH/MKKS
