Bagan – Land Of 13,000 Temples
Bagan is a special place. It’s not just that it’s home to the densest concentration of temples, pagodas, and stupas in the world, many from the 11th and 12th centuries. It’s just the place itself. It’s so laid back, so truly Burmese, it’s a visual feast for the eyes and all the senses.
It’s similar to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, but has a different feel. There’s something about the seemingly unorganized fashion that the Bagan landscape took shape that gives it a special character.
Bagan was the headquarters for King Anawratha, who unified Myanmar under Buddhistm in the 9th century. There used to be about 13,000 temples and stupas, but now only about 2200 remain. The golden age of this majestic place came to an end with the invasion of the Mongols in the 13th century.
The best way to see Bagan is to rent a bike for $1-$2 and pedal around. It’s easy to make the circuit and see the major temples in one day, with ample time to rest and replenish fluids drained out by the fierce sun.
The best way I can share Bagan’s majesty is through pictures.
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- A Covered Wagon
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- A Street Food Vendor Carrying Her Things
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- A Temple
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- A Temple
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- A Temple
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- A Temple Entrance
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- At A Temple Entrance With A Monk
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- Boat Parking Lot
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- Buddhist Nuns Receiving Alms
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- Buddhist Nuns Receiving Alms
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- Buddhist Nuns Receiving Alms
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- Buddhist Nuns Receiving Alms
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- Buddhist Nuns Receiving Alms
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- Buddhist Nuns Receiving Alms
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- Carrying A Bell With Strange Underwear
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- Cow And Villagers
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- Extremely Old Temples
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- Family Time
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- Hanging Out With Some Monks
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- Huge Gecko But Can’t Tell From The Picture
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- Inside A Temple
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- Inside A Temple
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- Inside A Temple
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- Old Carts
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- Readjusting His Longyi
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- Reclining Buddha
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- Repainting The Sign
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- Repainting The Sign
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- Souvenir Stall
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- Statue
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- Statue
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- Streaming A Static Image
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- Stupa
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- Stupas
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- Sunrise Over Bagan
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- Temple Name And Date
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- Village Life
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- With A Nun
The photos of the nuns are interesting – I’ve never seen any wearing robes like that or collecting alms in the morning as a group!
I hadn’t seen it before either. It was beautiful though!
Great shots, as always. I particlularly love the first one of the covered wagon in front of the temples. Classic! I really gotta get further into Burma than the Mae Sai border crossing.
Definitely! It’s just a shame you have to fly to see the rest of the country and can’t travel overland from the border.
There are few places I have been that have literrally taken my breath away like Bagan did. The first sentence completely sums up my experience there…
Definitely. Bagan is just one of those places.