Myanmar (Burma) - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 554

South of Old Bagan
Not far south of Old Bagan are two of
the most popular temples. Shwesandaw
Paya , just south of Anawrahta Road,
is particularly inundated with tour buses
at sunset; the five-terraced temple has
been over-restored but the views of
surrounding temples are very good. he
sharply tapered spire was a prototype for
many others in Bagan and elsewhere in
the country.
About 500m east of Shwesandaw Paya
is the huge Dhammayangyi , said to have
been started by King Narathu in 1166
but left unfinished after he died four
years later. He was renowned as a
particularly cruel king and it is said that
he had one of his wives - an Indian
princess - executed, but paid for it
when her father sent assassins to kill him.
he interior decoration is minimal, and
nobody really knows why (or when) the
inner passageways were bricked up.

New Bagan
At the northern edge of New Bagan sit
the thirteenth-century Sein Nyet Ama
Pahto and Sein Nyet Nyima Paya . he
temple has some fine stucco work, while
the stupa has an unusual ribbed finial.
West of the town and with good river
views, in a spot which was once an
important port, is Lawkananda Paya .
Built by Anawrahta in the eleventh
century to enshrine a replica of a Buddha
tooth relic, its bell-shaped dome is more
elongated than on later buildings.

Around Minnanthu
he village of Minnanthu is close to the
road that runs inland from New Bagan to
Nyaung U and the airport. En route to it,
the majestic Dhammayazaka Paya is
visible from the road, although set back
from it. Unusually it has pentagonal
terraces rather than square ones, and they
provide very good sunset views of the
temples dotted across the plain.
To the north of Minnanthu lie a
number of interesting temples, including
Payathonzu , which has a distinctive
triple-stupa design and some unfinished
sketches among the murals inside. Close
by is an underground monastery called
Kyat Kan Kyaung , which is still in use but
is pretty bare other than for a small shrine.
Back above ground, Nanda Manya Paya
has well-preserved murals, including
images of half-naked women tempting the
Buddha to abandon his meditation.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
Buses will usually stop at a government post so that
foreign passengers can pay the $15 Bagan entry fee. It is
also collected at the airport and jetties.
By plane Nyaung U airport is around 4km southeast of
town. A taxi to or from the airport costs K5000 (Nyaung U),
K6000 (Old Bagan) or K7000 (New Bagan).
Destinations Heho (6 daily; 40min-1hr 30min); Mandalay
(5 daily; 30min); Thandwe (2-3 daily; 1hr 55min); Yangon
(11 daily; 1hr 15min-4hr 25min).
By bus The bus station is on the Main Rd in Nyaung U.
It may be possible to reach Mrauk U via Magwe, although
at the time of research few people had done so without
a permit and private car.
Destinations Kalaw (2 daily; 8hr); Magwe (2 daily; 4hr);
Mandalay (5 daily; 7-8hr); Nay Pyi Taw (1-2 daily; 5hr);
Nyaungshwe for Inle Lake (3 daily; 10hr); Pakkoku

7

Around Myinkaba
To the north of Myinkaba village,
Gubyaukgyi has some of the best stucco
work to be found in Bagan. Further along,
Manuha Paya is notable for squeezing three
large seated Buddhas and one reclining
figure into rooms barely big enough to
contain them. his sense of confinement is
said - with a bit of poetic licence - to
reflect the fact that King Manuha of
haton commissioned the temple while he
was imprisoned by Anawrahta.
here are further temples just south of
Myinkaba. Nagayon Pahto is said to be
built on the spot where Kyansittha, who
later became king, was protected from his
brother Sawlu by a huge naga (a serpent
- one shelters the largest of the standing
Buddha figures). he decorations reflect
heravada Buddhism, while nearby
Abeyadana Pahto - built at the same time
- is said to have been constructed for
Kyansittha's wife Abeyadana, who
adhered to Mahayana Buddhism. Its
murals include deities borrowed from
Hinduism, as well as Bodhisattvas.
Soemingyi Kyaung , just a little further
along the main road, is the only surviving
example in Bagan of a courtyard
surrounded by meditation cells.