Myanmar (Burma) - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 549

BAGAN
he sheer scale of BAGAN (formerly
known as Pagan), which covers 67
square kilometres and includes more
than two thousand Buddhist structures,
is almost impossible to take in.
Individual temples, stupas and
monasteries impress in different ways
- for their evocative frescoes, their
imposing bulk or their graceful
simplicity - but it's the broader sweep
that tends to stay etched in visitors'
memories: the spectacle of hot-air
balloons rising from behind stupas at
dawn, the cool, calm relief of temple
interiors in the heat of the day, or grand
sunset vistas viewed from terraces.
his stretch of the Ayeyarwady River
has a long history of settlement, only
rising to prominence in its own right
with its 42nd king, Anawrahta, who
came to the throne in 1044. He also
kick-started the building activity, but it
really picked up pace under King
Kyansittha (who ruled from 1084-1112):
formerly Anawrahta's general, he was
exiled for falling in love with a princess
who was supposed to marry the king, but
he later returned to claim the throne.
By the end of the thirteenth century,
most of the building had been finished.
An earthquake in 1975 destroyed or
damaged many of the temples, and
overenthusiastic reconstruction is widely
evident, yet collectively they remain
magnificently evocative of Bagan's
golden age.

Bagan and the
central plains
he central plains - the arid lands
between the Ayeyarwady River in the
west and the Shan hills to the east - have
seen many kingdoms rise and fall,
including that of the Pyu who were the
earliest inhabitants of Myanmar for
whom records exist. he ruins of
hayekhittaya, close to the busy trading
town of Pyay , still hint at the grandeur of
the Pyu dynasty, which was at its peak
from the fifth to ninth centuries. he
mighty sixteenth-century dynasty based
further east in Taungoo , on the other
hand, left fewer tangible traces, but the
town is still a rewarding place to spend a
day or two exploring off the tourist trail.
he same cannot be said of the military
junta's twenty-first-century stab at a
“royal capital”, which is the literal
translation of Nay Pyi Taw .
Certainly the new capital has nothing
to compare to Bagan , but then again few
places in the world can offer a spectacle as
breathtaking as its vast stupa- and
temple-strewn plain. In the eleventh
century, King Anawrahta of Bagan
became the first to unite the lands that
now form Myanmar, and today the
legacy of his embrace of heravada
Buddhism exerts a stronger influence on
tourist imaginations than anywhere else
in the country.

7

ARCHITECTURE AND DECORATION IN BAGAN
Although there are a few exceptions, most of the ancient structures in Bagan are either stupas
( paya ) or temples ( pahto ). The former are usually placed over relics or Buddha images, and
are solid spires or cylinders with pointed or domed tops. The latter are square or rectangular
structures that can be entered. The earliest buildings bear evidence of being designed by
Mon architects, brought back by Anawrahta after he conquered Thaton: early stupas are
simple elongated cylinders while later ones are more elaborate and bell-like; later temples
tend to be larger and more complex.
The exterior walls of temples are often decorated with stucco ; one popular image is the
bălù pàn-zwèh , the face of an ogre holding garlands of flowers in its mouth. The interior
walls of many temples bear murals based on the Jataka, stories of the previous
reincarnations of the Buddha. Other murals depict mythical creatures such as the kein-năra
bird-man, a symbol of fidelity. The earliest paintings reflect Indian artistic styles, as many
artists were Brahmin. Writing on the walls ranges from records of donations to curses on
anyone desecrating the temples.