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 Bagan, capital of
the first Myanmar Empire, is one of the most
remarkable archaeological sights in the world
with its two thousand abandoned Buddhist
temples built along the mythical Ayeyarwady
River scattered across an area of 42 square kilometers vast
arid plain whereby some are well preserved while
others are in ruined. Located on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River, Bagan is 193 kilometers south of
Mandalay Photo: Buddhist temples in Bagan
and the beauty here will definitely
take your breath away.
 As a former center
of Buddhist spiritually and learning, Bagan
ranks alongside Angkor in Cambodia as renowned
ancient religious cities notable for their
expanse of sacred geography and the number and
size of their individual temples. Unlike Angkor,
the temples in Bagan are unhidden in thick
jungles and can be seen rising out of a vast and
treeless plain and creating one of the most
extraordinary sights in Asia. This area is
definitely regarded as a top tourist attraction
area in Burma.
Photo: Sunset at Bagan
A totally magnificent view awaits tourists who
has the chance to watch the sunrise or sunset
across these fields of glowing terra-cotta brick
temples. The view from Sulamani Temple is among the very finest the
world has to offer and has mural dating from the
11th to 12th century.
Spectacular tourists
attractions seen here include the Ananda Pahto
(also known as Ananda Temple) which is a large
and well-preserved temple housing four gilded
teak Buddhas and two sacred Buddha footprints, Shwezigon Paya
(Shwezigon Pagoda)
which is a traditionally shaped gold paya built
by King Anawrahta when he converted to Buddhism and
the Bagan Archaeological Museum whereby exhibits
such as antiques, Buddha images and stone
inscriptions are being displayed here. Other
interesting places worth checking out include
the Thatbyinnyu Temple which is Bagan's biggest
temple, Gawdawpalin Temple, Dhammayangyi Temple,
the unfinished Gubyaukgyi Temple and the
Shwesandaw Pagoda which was built under a strong
Mon influence. Should you have more time here in
Bagan, visit the Mingala Zedi Pagoda, Manuha
Temple, Lawkananda Temple and Bupaya Pagoda.
Apart from its
spectacular sunset views and serene river
cruises, Bagan is famous for its artistic
handicrafts and lacquerware industry. Some of
the main attractions located around Bagan are
Mount Popa which is a popular area for
eco-tourism and Sale (Sa-lay) which house the U
Pone Nya Museum (formerly the Yoke Sone
Monastery) and Tha-ta-na Kyaung (Keythar
Monastery) which showcases Tipitaka texts in a
red lacquered cabinet.
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