Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
carvings and stucco
kirtimukhas
around the bell below, with Buddha statues sat in niches on
each side.
Ashe Petleik Paya and Anauk Petleik Paya
Next to the road running down to the Lawkananda Pagoda • Daily 8am-6pm • To reach it, follow the road
through the big red arch on the right a few metres past the
Floral Breeze Hotel
(with an easily missed sign to
the Lakwapanada)
ThetwinAnauk(“Western”)PetleikandAshe(“Eastern”)Petleiktemplesarethoughttodate
from the reign of Anawrahta, making them two of the oldest buildings in Bagan. Both have
suffered massively from the ravages of time, however, and were largely rebuilt in 1905.
The first temple you'll see, the
Anauk Petleik Paya
, is the slightly better preserved of the
two,withaSriLankan-stylebell-shapedstupawhichismissingthetopofitsspire.Theadja-
cent
AshePetleikPaya
isevenmorefragmentary,toppedbyalargestupawhichisnowlittle
more than a hunk of shapeless brick. The shrines are of interest principally for their remark-
able collection of
unglazed tiles
stored within and depicting the usual Jataka scenes (these
formerly comprised a complete cycle of all 547 Jataka stories, although many of the tiles are
now missing). The prototypes for the later glazed tiles which decorate the exteriors of many
otherBagantemples,theseoriginalsweretoodelicatetobeexposedtotheelements,andthus
had to be kept indoors.
Lawkananda Pagoda
Daily 7am-9pm • Accessed by continuing past the Ashe Petleik Paya and Anauk Petleik Paya to the end of the
road
Set majestically above the river, the large and dazzlingly gilded stupa of the
Lawkananda
Pagoda
(“Joy of the World”) dates back to the reign of Anawrahta, making it one of Bagan's
oldest such structures, although it's been much rebuilt since. Enshrining a replica of the
Buddha's tooth presented to Anawrahta in 1059, the pagoda remains a popular place of local
worship.ThetemplestandsclosetowhatwasonceBagan'smainharbourandstillcommands
beautiful Ayeyarwady views, although the river's somewhat quieter now than it was in An-
awrahta's heyday, when the docks below would have been busy with shipping from the Mon
provinces, Rakhine, Sri Lanka and elsewhere.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: BAGAN
BY PLANE
Baganairport
Theairportisaround4kmsoutheastoftown.Ataxiintotownwillcostaround
K7000; heading to the airport there's more opportunity to wangle a cheaper fare, with prices
staring from around K4000 from Nyaung U, or K6000 from New Bagan.
Routes
AirBagan( 06160588),YangonAirways( 06160475)andAirMandalay( 061
60774) all have daily flights leaving in the morning to Mandalay (around $60) and Yangon
(around$120);AirMandalayalsooperatesaneveningflighttoYangon.There'saK1000de-
