Bagan (Pagan), Myanmar - the largest temple complex in the world. The ancient temples of Bagan - the best place in Myanmar (Burma) Bahama city in burma

Bagan(Pagan) - the main attraction of Myanmar (Burma), which is a must-see, traveling around the country. Thousands of ancient Buddhist Temples and Pagodas, like germinated seeds scattered in the field since ancient times, appear to the eye for many kilometers, plunging into mysterious world and delighting tourists from all over the world no less than the famous in Cambodia or Indonesia. Paradise for historians and pilgrims, positive energy. The most interesting and unique place not only in Myanmar, but also beyond its borders!

But first things first. Let's start with the arrival of self-traveling backpackers.

From the lake, or rather from the town, we continued our journey to Bagan. We arrived early in the morning on a night bus to the city Nyaung Wu is district center Bagan. The ticket cost 7,000 kyat - the cheapest then at the end of 2012, depending on where to buy. The journey took about 7 hours. It was about 4 am, it was dark. Together with the rest of the passengers, they settled in a local cafe, waiting for the dawn and the transport to start running. We drank hot Chinese tea, which in Myanmar in all cafes is on the tables for free in thermoses. I have already mentioned this wonderful tradition more than once. A couple of hours later, foreign tourists went on foot to the village of Nyaung U, and we, looking at the huge temple shining with gold, which we decided to visit later, got into the first car we came across and drove to New Bagan New Bagan, where Pete booked a hotel. Already from the car were visible old stupas, pagodas, temples in the rays of the rising sun. I perked up, despite the sleepless night and tired. Everything was like in a fairy tale.
Soon young monks sat down with us. And when we arrived at the hotel 20 minutes later, it turned out that Pete was mistaken, the price of $ 60 per room did not suit us at all. I had to stomp for about 20 minutes along the main street with backpacks from the end of the village ... Hooray, in the middle of the street I found a room where we stayed for three days. It cost $ 18 housing with 2 beds, shower, toilet and an old air conditioner. The cheaper one was taken. I have said more than once that housing in Myanmar is more expensive than in other Asian countries. I mean cheap regular accommodation, not star hotels. We rested and began our three-day epic of walking through the fields and temples of Bagan. Of course, you can do all this on a bike, but as I said, after, I was afraid. The attempt made in this confirmed. We took a local tuk tuk for 500 kyats per person.

Bagan - thousands of temples, description, history

Archaeological Complex of Bagan located 150 km from the city of Mandalay (7 hours), on the banks of the beautiful and largest Ayeyarwaddy River in Myanmar. It is divided by the name of the districts of New Bagan and Old. This is not a city, as many people think, but an area of more than 100 square meters. km, where many ancient sacred Buddhist pagodas and temples of various architecture, age and size are scattered. From the smallest to the largest, you can climb them and see all this splendor.
Bagan was founded in 849. For more than 200 years, since 1044, it was the capital of the Pagan kingdom. The powerful and once prosperous Pagan Empire, which occupied almost the entire territory of Myanmar, was weakened due to internecine and other wars, and ended its existence in 1287, when it was occupied and plundered by the Mongols, for unwillingness to pay tribute. Only in the 15th century, this place was revived as a center of pilgrimage for Buddhists, which is still the case. Here they study the Pali language, religion, astrology, etc. In total, about 13,000 temples, pagodas and stupas, monasteries were built. Most were erected in the 9th-13th centuries. Of these, more than 3,600 have survived to this day in a different state. Many monuments have turned into ruins, ruins, including due to a strong earthquake in 1975, some have been restored.

The main temples of Bagan are a whole list of sights and monuments, each of which deserves a separate article, photo gallery, or even a whole site. I will cite just a few. Read and see the photos also in the next two articles - about on the roof and much more about life in Bagan, these pagodas there, did not fit in one article.

Map of Myanmar, zoom in to see where Bagan is located.

Pagodas and temples of Bagan - sights from antiquity

Bagan is divided into New and Old. It is in Old Bagan that the largest concentration of the main attractions and monuments of a distant era is located - it is a 10-15 minute drive from New.

Ananda Temple- is considered the most revered, holiest and one of the oldest temples in Bagan. It was founded in 1091 by the King of Quansit. The temple has four wooden and gold-covered Buddha statues, one in each part of the temple, corresponding to the four cardinal points. Their height is 8.5 meters. The name Ananda means "infinite wisdom" in Pali. The temple was damaged during the 1975 earthquake and was restored.

In the inner corridors, there are many niches on the walls, where, as if in windows, small sculptures of the Buddha are placed.

On the Ayeyarwaddy River, there is a pier, so you can get here by water, but it's a long time. Further circles and a country road went to look, interesting and unusual species Bagan and take a photo. So you walk along a path or straight through a meadow, field or grass, and small stupas are waiting for you, here and there. TO museum complex approached from behind, then went through some gates without a ticket, we were soon asked from there, but I managed to take a photo of a beautiful building. The price of a ticket to the museum is 5 dollars, it was already about four o'clock, we did not go, and so there is something to see.

What charm independent travel - you can walk wherever you want and look at what you want, as much as you like, communicate with whom you want, manage your time on your own, and not run away from the place you like in a minute, with the whole crowd. Walking through the fields, we sometimes climbed large and small temples. Sometimes locals and even children can take you inside a small temple. So I went with a girl of about 12 into the darkness of an ancient pagoda, barefoot, as it should be. And my friend Pete, for some reason, did not want to and stayed outside to wait. Well, in vain. The girl had a flashlight. That's what I saw there.

Tourists from hotels are brought here on buses or horses, a plume of dust stretches behind them. Of course, they don’t see much like we do, but they are very happy with this.

More than half of the first day we visited the most famous temples, often visited by tourists and only a little small. On the second day, we went to the city of Nyaung U. To look at the huge golden pagoda, the market. Then they continued combing the fields of Bagan deep into, got acquainted with the local life. And in the evening we found where, squealing with joy, we met an elderly American woman, with whom we rode in a boat on the lake - amazing! On the third day, early in the morning we went to one of the remote Pagodas - this is a fantastic sight and I will describe life in Bagan in the next article. And while I continue...

Shwezigon Pagoda Shwezigon Pagoda

The main attraction of Bagan - Shwezigon Pagoda Shwezigon Pagoda, is located in the city of Nyaung U Nyaung U and is worthy of admiration no less than the Shwedagon Pagoda in. Shwezigon Pagoda is one of the oldest and most important pagodas in Bagan and the only one that is gilded. It sparkles as if you are in a sunny kingdom. Greatness, brilliance and of course pleasant positive energy create an amazing atmosphere. It is also one of the most revered pagodas in all of Myanmar (Burma).

The construction of the Shwezigon Pagoda was started around 1056 by the Bagan king Anawratha Anawratha, the protector of Theravada and the first of the great builders of Bagan. After his death in 1077, his son, King Kyanzitha Kyanzittha, completed the construction around 1090. Shwezigon Pagoda houses 2 bones of the Buddha. It has a square base, each side of the temple is about 50 meters. Height is also about 50m. Around the temple is a large area with 4 entrances. The pavilions of the Pagoda house a Buddha statue and many carvings and architectural elements.
Everything looks majestic and very beautiful. Pilgrims from all over Myanmar come here, especially during the festival, which takes place in late November - early December. Various amazing signs are attributed to this pagoda - observations. For example, that the trees on the territory bloom all year round, and the golden leaves with which the stupa is pasted over sometimes fly off, but always land on the territory and are never blown away by the wind. I already mentioned in the article about the lake, how believers glue small plates of gold leaf, expressing their respect for the Buddha.

There is a long gallery on the territory of the Pagoda. Interesting souvenirs are sold along it. In general, in the village itself, I also recommend taking a walk and looking at the works of local masters from huge painted clay jugs to handicrafts made of semiprecious stone
. Yes, about stones ... Sapphires and other precious stones are mined in Myanmar. I was even once offered to buy, but I did not, although I really like minerals. There are many handicrafts, paintings, painted wooden souvenirs, umbrellas and jadeite crafts. In the gallery, just like in the temple, you need to walk without shoes - barefoot, as in any sacred place.

And now I'll tell you how to get here.

Getting to Bagan and useful information

You can get to Bagan from - by bus, by plane to Nyaung U - there are several airlines, by train or even by river. From the lake - by bus, from Mandalay - by train or bus, but the road there is not very good, and from other places too. There is an airport with the same name, Train Station, a pier, several villages - Nyaung U Nyaung U, Old Bagan, New Bagan and others, in which, in addition to beautiful hotels, you can find accommodation in guest houses, small hotels of very different levels, where independent travelers and backpackers usually stay.

Important: to visit Bagan, you need to pay a tourist tax of $ 20 or 20 euros or 27,000 kyats - this is now, then in December 2012 it was $ 10. This fee is taken at the airport, station and other transport hubs. It is controlled and any tourist can be checked by stopping on the road. But we were lucky, probably because we arrived at night by bus and never even saw where these fees are paid and who checks it. In addition, we traveled by ordinary cheap transport, always with locals. So all three days we looked at what we wanted without any problems, combing the fields and winding kilometers, looking at the ruins, ruins, large and small temples, pagodas, stupas and observing the life of people on this ancient land. That's why I ended up with three articles.

Read the continuation of what we saw in Bagan in the next two articles, I will show a lot more interesting things - ancient monuments, people's lives and, and also tell a lot more interesting things.

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When they say Myanmar, many do not even know which side it is. And this country is a neighbor of the well-known Thailand. Previously, this exotic was called Burma - stuffy and hot, sometimes dusty, but no less desirable. So if you are going to rest in Thailand, we advise you to pay a visit to Myanmar, where there are much fewer travelers, but there are many architectural monuments.

The city of Bagan, built by ancient people, has survived to this day and today, more than ever, attracts the attention of many tourists. It is often called the "city of a thousand temples", although there are actually about four hundred of them, and it attracts tourists, enticing with its special atmosphere.

Amazing Bagan

Today it's frozen stone city, where the main character is stone buildings - half-spiritualized pagodas, Buddhist temples, stupas. Here are the most beautiful of all the temples in the world. This city, which has already fallen asleep forever, was the political, cultural and religious center of Burma in the distant past. Now there are only echoes of the former greatness, which lovers of sophisticated exotics aspire to. The Irrawaddy River - the largest in Myanmar - keeps its way past Bagan and brave travelers can get to the cherished city along it. It is much more interesting to get to this cherished place by the river on a small ferry than to arrive corny by plane or bus. This river majestically adorns the surroundings and among the ruins will remind you more than once what is eternal and what is passing.

City `s history

In the old great times of this city, the people who lived in it and walked among the temples, felt all their earthiness in comparison with the stunning triumph of these buildings. And now it’s exactly the opposite, you don’t feel worthless and faded, you are strong and free where everything is already crumbling. But you still do not leave some mystery, the solution of which is not far off.

Watching the pieces ancient civilization and you feel like a real archaeologist who has found a whole city and is afraid to believe his eyes, so as not to destroy even a small part of these treasures. But I want to continue to participate and open new horizons.

Mysticism of the city

The ruins gave the surroundings a certain mystical charm. Asian architecture and the desolation of these places captivate with a certain sophistication, but without the gloominess so inherent in the old ruins. An amazing languor spread smoothly in the local air, regardless of the time of day. The curls of local temples are strikingly different from any world architectural trends, and only looking closely at them, you can comprehend the strong difference in the cultures of the West and the East. It will seem that the curve of each structure that surrounds you wants to inspire something or influence your mind.

Observation deck

For the deepest impressions, climb higher to look at the gorgeous view that opens up. The ascent to the temple site is the number one point for tourists in Bagan. The excitement will take your breath away! At sunrise, as soon as the first drops of the sun begin to fall on the building, you will think that the secret is finally open.

But even the view from the very high point pale in comparison to flying hot-air balloon. Flying over the city of temples and ruins, where ornate peaks protrude, is an unforgettable sight. You will not just plunge into the atmosphere, you will feel how it was created.

Unfortunately, not all buildings in the city survived and were not destroyed by time. Some were restored, but without taking into account their original appearance, which prevented Bagan from entering the UNESCO heritage list. Also, civilization is already beginning to approach here with modern highways and tourist entertainment. So hurry up to visit here while mysterious antiquity still reigns in Bagan.

Holidays in Bagan: affordable for everyone

Among all cities in Myanmar, Bagan is ideal for travelers, regardless of the time of year. There is no rainy season, so the city can be explored all year round. The proximity of the tropics affects: daily temperature can reach 40 degrees, and at night it drops to 27 ̊С. For a quick tour, you can visit the most famous revered temples. Everyone loves the Shwesandaw temple, where a crowd of onlookers gather every evening.

Today's Bagan is conditionally divided into three parts: northeastern, northwestern (Old Bagan) and southwestern (New Bagan). In the northeast, the largest selection of budget ones, you can eat literally for a penny, but such establishments are located far from the central attractions. Tourist groups usually stop in New Bagan; hotels of a higher class are located here. Old Bagan serves, as a rule, wealthy tourists, housing here is expensive, but they are also located next to architectural monuments.

In continuation of our stories about amazing places planets, today I decided to write about a very beautiful city in Myanmar (Burma). I'm sure many of you didn't even know it existed, and neither did I until today. This is Bagan, or as it is called - the city of a million temples, unique and amazing a nice place with an interesting history.

Bagan is an ancient city in Burma (Myanmar). The city was originally named as Arimaddana (City that defeats enemies), also known as Copper, or Scorched Earth.

This place was the ancient capital of several kingdoms in Burma, located in the dry central plains of the country 150 kilometers southwest of Mandalay

Bagan was submitted for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List, but was later excluded. This site is no longer designated as a World Heritage site, and it's all the fault of the authorities - Burma's military junta. They restored ancient temples and buildings, ignoring the original architectural styles and using modern materials which bear no resemblance to the original designs. The junta went even further, installing a 200-foot fire tower near Bagan, as well as building a highway and a large golf course here.

As always, let's delve a little into the history of this place.

The ruins of Bagan cover an area of 16 square miles. Over time, Bagan became the capital of the First Burmese Empire, by order of King Piinbyi in 874. Most of its buildings were built between 1000-1200 AD. Throughout the long history of this place, rulers have repeatedly changed here.

Later, the monks made Bagan the religious and cultural center of the state, declaring Buddhism the state religion.

In the 12th and 13th centuries the city became a truly cosmopolitan center of Buddhist beliefs, attracting monks and students from India, Sri Lanka, as well as the Thai and Khmer kingdoms. In 1287, the kingdom was captured by the Mongols after refusing to pay tribute to Khan Kublai.

Abandoned by the Burmese king and abandoned by the Mongols, the city ceased to function as a political center but continued to flourish as a seat of Buddhist faith and learning.

Bagan is located in upper Myanmar, so you can visit it all year round - there is practically no rainy season, as in other parts of the country. Thousands of tourists come here every day to admire the unique temples and pagodas.

Ancient city one of the richest archaeological sites in South-East Asia. There are 2230 monuments still preserved here. Approximately 1000 monuments are in ruins, and originally there were approximately 4500. 600 temples of Bagan were washed away by the Ayeyarwaddy River during the summer flood

Bagan is the capital of the first state in Myanmar. During its heyday, more than 10,000 religious buildings were built on the local plains; today, there are more than 2,000 ancient Buddhist temples in the abandoned temple complex. Ancient pagodas, temples, sacred caves and stupas, located in the bend of the Irrawaddy River, keep the memory of the former capital of the Burmese Empire. Bagan is an amazing and eclectic sight: the temples are built of limestone, sandstone, marble, with tiles and underground galleries - and each is at least somewhat different from its neighbors. Nowadays, this place has become a kind of Buddhist Mecca and a popular tourist center. Pilgrims from all over Asia come here, as well as travelers interested in architecture and culture. ancient Myanmar. Many are so imbued with the local culture that they stay in Bagan for several days or even weeks.

Bagan is an amazing and eclectic sight: the temples are built of limestone, sandstone, marble, with tiles and underground galleries.

From the history of Bagan

Bagan played an important role in the cultural development of the Burmese kingdoms, and it was here that Burmese art was born. But it attracts the attention of historians not only as cultural capital. The history of the emergence of the Bagan state is truly phenomenal: there were no usual long years of development and formation, Bagan appeared swiftly and immediately presented its amazing temples, full-fledged administrative and religious systems to the world.

The date of foundation of Bagan is taken to be 850 AD. e. Soon after, endless bloody battles for the throne and palace coups began. In 1044, Prince Aniruda ascended the throne, and this year is considered the date of the creation of the Bagan state. During the years of his reign, Aniruda significantly expanded the territory, adding neighboring lands to it, raised the cultural level of the inhabitants and strengthened foreign policy alliances. He strove for Bagan to surpass all states known at that time, brought here the most talented craftsmen who created incredible masterpieces.

By the way, from Aniruda among the Bagan kings, as well as nobles, ministers and other nobility, a tradition began to exalt their name by building temples.

After the death of Aniruda, Bagan was ruled by many kings; some were peace-loving and emphasized diplomatic relations, others waged bloody wars and gathered military campaigns, periods of peace were followed by years of violent uprisings. From the end of the 12th century for Bagan, the time of oblivion, defeats in wars, the collapse of statehood, and population decline began.

Formally, the Bagan throne existed for almost 9 centuries, during which time the destroyed and plundered Bagan gradually became depopulated, wooden buildings burned down in military fires, stone ones were destroyed by earthquakes. To this day, only stupas and temples have survived in the enchanted ghost town, keeping the memory of the greatness of Bagan.

In the summer of 1975, Burma, especially Bagan, was hit hard by a particularly severe earthquake. In the 90s. the military authorities of the country began to restore the city in order to create an attractive tourist site. Unfortunately, this inept "restoration" caused more damage to the monuments than good, so that, despite the obvious cultural and historical significance, UNESCO did not include Bagan in the List of World Heritage Sites.

Bagan - land of pagodas

How to get there

There are no direct flights from Russia to Myanmar; all the more, you cannot get to Bagan by plane without transfers. Several airlines offer flights to Myanmar, but they are very expensive and involve a couple of transfers (in Europe and Asia). The best way to get to Myanmar is to fly to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore by plane, then transfer to a plane to Yangon, and from there to Bagan is already within easy reach. Not far from Nyang-U there is an airport that accepts liners from Yangon.

You can also get to Bagan by land from Thailand (the borders of Myanmar with Bangladesh, India, Laos and China are closed). If you choose this option, please note that when entering Myanmar via land border tourists are limited in their movements around the country, so you will have to apply for short-term visas for 2-14 days with the right to stay in the border area. Departure from Yangon and Mandalay to Bagan tourist buses. Another option is to take a tourist boat from Mandalay and get to Bagan along the Ayeyarwaddy River, the trip will take approximately 12 hours.

Search for flights to Yangon (nearest airport to Bagan)

3 things to do in Bagan:

Ride in a hot air balloon. Flights are organized only in the early morning, the cost of a unique attraction is about 300-400 USD per person.
Take a picture in one of the temples local residents dressed in colorful costumes. For a small fee, they will gladly show off their long neck, adorned with spirals that look like copper rings, for a photo.
Meet the sunset by climbing to the top of Shwe San Da Pagoda.

What to ride

The temples of Bagan are randomly scattered over a fairly large area. Those located in the vicinity of villages and Old Bagan can still be reached on foot, but to get to remote temples, you have to drive.

There are several ways to get around Bagan. Most a budget option- rent a bike for 1.50 USD per day. A more expensive and more exotic option is to rent a horse-drawn carriage for 15 USD per day, however, keep in mind that local drivers are in no hurry, so you will move at a snail's pace. And, finally, those who are limited in time and are not tempted by local exoticism can rent a car with a driver, the cost is from 25-35 USD per day. Prices on the page are for September 2018.

Where to stay

Choose where to stay: in Old Bagan, New Bagan or Nyang-U - you need based on your preferences in the rest. If the main goal is to visit temples, and in evening entertainment there is no need, pay attention to Old Bagan, from here it is most convenient to get to the shrines. If without nightlife and visiting restaurants you can’t imagine your vacation, your choice is New Bagan. Most of the cafes and other entertainment venues are concentrated here, as well as a decent selection of hotels. True, from New Bagan you will have to get to the temples by transport. The picture is about the same in Nyang-U: there are many inexpensive hotels, there are restaurants, besides this, there is a bus station and a market. Of the inconveniences: you also need to get to the temples by transport.

The abandoned city of Bagan in translation means "pagan" - this is an extraordinary set of ancient Buddhist sanctuaries, which were built mainly in the period from the 10th century to the 12th century in Myanmar (Burma). These temples of Bagan are located on the east bank of the Ayerwady River, which is located 145 kilometers from the Mandalay district.

This is an impressive, ancient religious center of Bagan, which consists of 2200 temples and pagodas and covers an area of 16 square kilometers. The temples of Bagan are a collection of different architectural styles that developed in this region during that historical period. They were built in the style of "relic stupa in the form of a dome", "stupa with a tomb in the form of a dome", "Sinhala style in the form of a stupa", "North Indian model", "Central Indian model", "South Indian model" and "Mon is a model". However, most of the complex's buildings were built in the form of pagodas and temples.

Both types of structures have their own separate purposes. The pagoda was built as a symbol of worship, and the temple serves for meditation and worship. To build such structures, the builders used mainly brick, sandstone and bulky timber. Other materials, such as some metals such as bronze and iron, were also used but not very widely. The pagoda is made up of bricks connected by sandstone and earth.

Some of the most beautiful and important temples that continue to stand in Bagan let's list some of them:

– Dhammayangyi, it was designed and built by the famous king Narathu from 1167 to 1170 and is the largest temple complex.

— Shwesandaw, this is one of the very first temples built, in Bagan. It was built by Anawahta where there are Buddha stupas. This temple was also known as Ganesha because there is an image of the Hindu God in the corners of the terrace.

- Mahabodi is the most exact copy, but in a smaller size, of the famous Bodhi temple, which is located in India. Mahabodhi was built by King Nataungmya, which has images of Budha.

– Amnada is one of the most beautiful temples, and in 1990 it received “gold gilding” in honor of its 900th anniversary of construction. There are four large golden Buddha statues on the Temple.

— Zi Khon, this is one of the important and impressively beautiful temples in Bagan. There are several bones and hairs of the Buddha himself. The construction which was begun by the king of Anawrata and completed by his successor, the king of Kyanzittha. This temple hosts an annual religious festival and to this day is the most important place of pilgrimage for believers.

- Thatbynnyu is the tallest building in Bagan, its height is 61 meters.

History of the abandoned city of Bagan

Most of the buildings in the archaeological and religious complex of Bagan were built between 1000 and 1200 AD. During this time, Bagan was the capital of the Burmese Empire for the second time. The Golden Age of Bagan began in 1057 when King Anoet conquered Thaton. Anoeta was a Buddhist, so he brought Theravada Buddhism scriptures back to Bagan.

Anawrata initiated at one time the mass construction of various temples and other religious buildings in Bagan, which we can see and admire today. And his successors continued this tradition, laid down by them. They built over 10,000 temples and pagodas in Bagan over the course of 290 years.

During its most apogee, Bagan was one of the most important religious and cultural centers Asia, the population reached up to 300,000 people, and there were about 10,000 temples and pagodas that existed in Bagan. Unfortunately, there were several earthquakes and enemy attacks that destroyed most of the buildings of the ancient capital Burma.

And the golden age of the abandoned city of Bagan ended in 1287, when the Mongols captured the area and plundered everything. But, nevertheless, it was still the most important center of Buddhism, but the political significance was already lost forever. The city gradually fell into disrepair and only in our time, the temples and some of the archaeological remains that survived, began to be restored.