Bagan is the site of ancient capitals on a bend in the Irrawaddy River that existed in a period between the 11th and 13th centuries. That era was characterized by a furious pace of temple building that has left behind what is now largely an archeological collection of 4600 temples spread across a large area of the Bagan plain. The site is one of the great wonders of the world and finally received designation 5 years ago as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The immensity of the site is hard to grasp on the ground, and impossible to absorb in only a few days of bouncing from temple to temple. It is an amazing spectacle, however, from a balloon basket in the early morning dawn.

The UNESCO designation is bringing to the site a degree of protection and funding that was missing over the last fifty years when military rule closed Myanmar to the outside world. During that period the Bagan temples suffered first from neglect, and then from a few well-intentioned but unprofessional efforts to restore some of the temples. An earthquake four years ago seriously damaged hundreds of the temples, but restoration efforts funded by and under the supervision of UNESCO are underway.

To visit all of the more noteworthy temples would take several days that we don’t have. Our few days here provide only a teaser.

History — The story of Bagan starts with the entry of Theravada Buddhism into an area dominated by Hindu and Mahayana Buddhist beliefs (with at large dose of spirit worship that predated organized religions and remains an element of the belief system today). The starting point was a rivalry in the 11th century between a Bamar King (Anawrahta) who ruled from the Bagan area and a Mon King (Manuha) to the South. King Manuha sent a Theravada monk to convert his rival to the north. King Anawrahta was easily converted and then wanted a copy of the Tripitaka (the written sayings of the Buddha) and sent his army to seize the scriptures – plus all of the Buddhist scholars and monks and King Manuha for good measure. King Anawrahta, determined to show his devotion, brought in architects and began a temple building spree that was continued by his three successors well into the 13th century. The building of temples halted when the Mogols invaded Burma in the 14th century and ransacked Bagan. Bagan was not repopulated until the late 19th century under British rule.

The Area — The Bagan area has three towns: Old Bagan, New Bagan, and Nyaung U. Old Bagan is the original walled city on the Irrawaddy. New Bagan and Nyaung U are lively towns with many restaurants, shops, and hotels/resorts all catering to the brisk tourist trade.

Nyaung U Market — We start our first day in Bagan with a trip to the open-air market. Sellers in the market offer an impressive variety of extremely fresh vegetables and fruits, along with a host of clothing, housewares, and other items useful for domestic consumption. It is a great way to get a slice of everyday Myanmar life — the market is busy at this time of the morning —but it is hard not to feel that we are taking up much-needed space in the narrow passageways.

Shwezigon Paya — otherwise known as “the gold pagoda.” This massive, all-gold, temple is an unforgettable sight. It is one of the temples started by King Anawrahta in the 11th century — and later finished by his successor. The temple is shaped almost like a pyramid but with four equal sides — with each level a little smaller than the previous one, crowned at the top with a massive gold stupa.

Manuha Paya — This big white temple was also built in the 11th century. It was built by King Manuha, the Mon king captured and imprisoned by King Anawrahta, who sold his precious ruby ring to pay for it. There are three Buddhas all crammed in small spaces and a huge reclining Buddha that stretches through three rooms, but barely has space for a normal person to squeeze through. The reclining Buddha represents the passing of the Buddha into the next life. Allegedly, the small spaces were intended to convey Manuha’s feeling of confinement and the reclining Buddha was a message to Anawrahta that even great kings are mortal.

Htilominlo Pahto — The temple, built in the 13th century, marks the spot where a white umbrella bent toward the youngest of the king’s 5 sons to mark his successor (in English its name is “king wants umbrella” temple). Damaged in the 2016 earthquake, the temple is having substantial repair to its brick exterior. The interior has a beautiful golden Buddha inside its front door, and three additional Buddhas inside its side and rear entrances.

More Myanmar Crafts – During the day, we also stopped in for demonstrations of two crafts and an opportunity to buy something to take home.

One craft is sand painting, which involves spreading layers of sand on glue-covered cotton cloth and rolling it with a bottle until it is soft and can be folded. The surface is then painted with images like a canvas would be.

The other craft is making lacquerware. Bamboo forms (bowls, cups) are painted with coats of tar-like lacquer, which when dry is etched with a design and then painted with a technique that leaves the color only in the etched grooves. The process seems painstaking and slow, but yields an elegant result which works well for trays, cups, soup bowls, and other utilitarian or decorative pieces.

Interview with a Monk – We were quite lucky to have the opportunity to talk with a Buddhist monk about Buddhism, his career as a monk, and his daily routine. We will talk about this experience in more detail in a later post on a Monk’s Life.

Sunset Hill — In an effort to shut down the tourist practice of climbing the pagodas to see the sunset, the authorities have built a series of mounds around the area on which tourists are encouraged to congregate to photograph the sunset. Here for your viewing pleasure is our 5th day of sunset picture.