 As the pagoda is bulbous and in the shape of gourd or pumpkin, the word 'Bu' in Burmese, which means "pumpkin" or "gourd" is the affixed to 'paya'.The word 'paya' means "pagoda".It is also said that King Pyusawhti, builder of the Pagoda, got the river bank deweeded as it was infested with gourd-like plant, considered a 'menace'.