| In the mid-Fifth Century, during the Gupta period, statues of Buddhas were added to the stupa. |
| Moving further in, concentric with the central stupa is a surrounding gallery or portico that connects the four viharas. |
| A stupa was originally a burial mound enshrining relics of a holy person, but over the centuries this has developed into tall, spired monuments. |
| It contains the famous Shwezigon pagoda that also is based on the great stupa at Sanchi. |
| The domed stupa of Buddhist architecture recalls the simple mound of earth while its gates memorialise the forest cleared for the monument. |
| The style of the main stupa at the wat is derived from Singhalese art around the same time as Singhalese Theravada Buddhism. |
