Travel in Myanmar – Mysterious Bagan

During the travel in Myanmar, Bagan, an ancient city belonging to the archaeological site of Mandalay, is definitely a must-see destination.

Bagan, formerly Pagan, was the capital of the kingdom of Pagan that existed between from the 9th to the 13th century in central Myanmar today.

The city of Bagan is now in a dry region, the center of Myanmar, on the east coast of the Ayeyarwady River, 145 km south-west of Mandalay Region. This city has an area of??about 25 square miles with hundreds of temples, monasteries… that were built during the mid-11th to the late 17th century, during the transition of Mahayana Buddhism to Theravada. These temples built during the Golden Age marked the beginning of a new tradition of Buddhism in Myanmar.

As a destination not to be missed during the travel Myanmar, but in the past, the dynasty of Bagan had its zenith from 1057 with the conquest of the kingdom of Thaton led by the king Anawrahta and ended in 1287 when Kublai Khan's troops invaded the region. The king Anawrahta brought a lot of relics and Buddhist texts from Thaton with many artists and architects. The successors kings built many temples, towers, sanctuaries... during nearly 200 years...

According to history, for many centuries, 55 kings ruled the country but the king Anawrahta (1044-1077) transformed Bagan in a center of power, religion and economy. He conquered the neighboring kingdom of Thaton by arresting thousands of artisans of Thaton to build temples for that the Buddhism became the state religion. Also during the reign of Anawrahta, the Burmese alphabet was born. Legend says that every day, 40 temples were built in Bagan. Today, all travelers in Bagan will be surprised by the talent of anonymous craftsmen and the fanaticism of a country: thousands or even millions of people have put effort, money, possessions …to build major works for the unique purpose to chant the philanthropic Buddha.

Spread over the arid plain beside romantic Ayeyarwady River in central Myanmar, Bagan is known by the unique architectural monuments in South - East Asia.

Bagan has beautiful architectural masterpieces that are sumptuous, impressive... built during two centuries and could be compared with two large Buddhist relics: Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobudur in central Java of Indonesia. The temples of Bagan reach the number of 2217 and 2000 already destroyed temples with the remaining ruins that mark a golden era in Myanmar.

A special thing is that all the temples of Bagan focus on an area of??42 km square on the left bank of the Ayeyarwady River, now known as Old Bagan (Bagan plain). These surviving temples are the incarnation of an extinct architecture, from the towers temples in the pre Mon era to the end of the Mon culture.

Mon architecture is very popular among the great temples of Bagan, one of which is the golden pagoda of Shwezigon. This is the first gold pagoda built in Myanmar and also the typical model for the temples later. From a distance, visitors can feel the sacred aspects emerging from the solid structure: The first cylindrical shaped golden tower situated on the square tower with three floors. Besides the pagoda of Shwezigon or "the oldest", Bagan has still Ananda temple as '' the most beautiful '' and Thatbyinyu temple as "the highest" and finally the Dhamma Yangyi temple as "the greatest"...

Coming to Bagan during travel in Myanmar, Shwezigon Pagoda will leave more impressions. This pagoda has an important place in the system of pagodas in Myanmar, such as Golden Pagoda (Shwedagon) in Yangon. Shwezigon was the first temple built in the style of Theravada Buddhism.

The two most famous temples in Bagan are Anada and Thatbynnyu that were built in the late 11th century. Thatbynnyu with a height of 62m is the highest and Anada - influenced by Indian architecture - is the most beautiful and most harmonious temple. Travelers have the opportunity not only to admire the splendor of the two temples, but also to enjoy the beautiful sunset on the Bagan plain. The sun disappears behind the distant hills. The glow covering the ruins of many temples strengthens the solitary, deserted emotion... In front of the spectacular natural scenery, people feel quite small...

Bagan is beautiful, radiant at dawn and dreamy in purple afternoon. Thousands of temples of all sizes alternate in hilly way.

From the top of Shwesandaw tower while looking down, the majestic, immense scenery... of these temples appears like a giant painting, leaving those who travel in Myanmar an incredible sense of admiration of the prosperity that King Annawrahta built.

While life outside is dynamic, lively... the ancient capital of Bagan, an essential destination while travel Myanmar is still there, peaceful, serene over the centuries.

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