The ancient temples of Bagan are the best place in Myanmar (Burma). Bagan - the grandeur of the ancient era, Myanmar Bagan city what country

Abandoned city of Bagan translated as “pagan”, this is an extraordinary set of ancient Buddhist sanctuaries, which were built mainly from the 10th century to the 12th century in the territory of Myanmar (Burma). These Bagan temples are located on the eastern bank of the Ayerwady River, which is located 145 kilometers from the Mandalay district.

This is the impressive, ancient religious center of Bagan, which consists of 2,200 temples and pagodas and covers an area of ​​16 square kilometers. The temples of Bagan are a collection of various 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 buildings in the complex 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, builders used primarily brick, sandstone, and large timber. Other materials, such as some metals such as bronze and iron, were also used, but not very widely. The pagoda is made of bricks, connected by sandstone and earth.

Some of the most beautiful and important temples that continue to stand in Bagan let us list a few of them:

- Dhammayangyi, it was designed and built by the famous King Narathu from 1167 to 1170 and it 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 smaller sizes, 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 a “gold gilding” in honor of its 900th anniversary of construction. There are large four 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 was started by King Anawrata and completed by his successor King Kyanzittha. This temple hosts an annual religious festival and remains the most important pilgrimage site for believers to this day.

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

Anawrata at one time initiated the massive 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. Over the course of 290 years, they built more than 10,000 temples and pagodas in Bagan.

During its most apogee, Bagan was one of the most important religious and cultural centers of Asia, the population reached up to 300,000 people, and there were about 10,00 temples and pagodas that existed in Bagan. Unfortunately, several earthquakes and enemy attacks occurred, which destroyed most of the buildings of the most ancient capital of Burma.

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

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Bagan is another former capital of another kingdom that once existed in what is now Myanmar. Near the coast of the Irrawaddy, on an area of ​​40 m2, about four thousand Buddhist religious buildings have been preserved: temples, stupas, man-made caves. Almost all of them were built from the 11th to the 13th centuries during the heyday of the kingdom. Soon, when the Mongols came to these lands, the city was plundered and fell into decay. Now only a few villages scattered around the area remain. There is an airport near the village of Nyaung U, from which we will fly to Yangon in the evening of the next day.

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Trains

A year and a half ago, I already experienced the joy of traveling by train in Southeast Asia. Then we drove about 250 kilometers overnight from east to west of the island of Ceylon. Now we had something similar to do, only in 8 hours we had to cover an even smaller distance - only 150 kilometers separating Mandalay and the city of temples Bagan. Having estimated the average speed and remembering the condition of the Sri Lankan first class carriages with greasy seats and cyclopean-sized cockroaches, I decided not to even think about the Myanmar carriages, but to accept them as a necessity. There are three alternatives - either fly by plane, which will cover one and a half hundred kilometers in twenty minutes and empty your wallet by $100, or travel by bus - five to six hours off-road in a cramped cabin. The third option is to take a boat down the Irrawaddy River. There is a “high-speed” boat - the journey will take about 9 hours and will cost 40 dollars, and twice a week there is a “galosh” for locals - without any amenities, with mats on the deck, but in a colorful company - 12 hours and 10 dollars. The train, which cost $15 in upper class, seemed like the best option. And in general, I love trains.

The train is night, but there are no sleeping cars. People here are accustomed to such travel times, and apparently they are not supposed to sleep comfortably. Although there are steel seats on the Bagan-Yangon train. But it’s a nineteen-hour drive there, and we’re only eight. The carriages turned out to be relatively good for Southeast Asia, better than those in Sri Lanka. Two wide soft seats on each side, windows that are difficult to close, a “hole in the floor” toilet that won’t close at all, a shabby, shabby table - that’s the whole interior. But overall it's clean.

Soon after departure you become a real Buddhist. It is realized that even in a sleeping car it would be problematic to fall asleep - the car confidently rocks in all planes. In moments you fly up five centimeters, so much so that it seems as if you are in the saddle on a horse. From right to left, the cars sway relative to each other so much that if you look at the door of the next car, at some moments it will overlap the body of our car by almost a third. Before the most dangerous section, when it seemed that the carriage was about to capsize, inspectors walked through the salons and asked to remove all heavy things from the upper shelves. I wonder what laws of physics are being violated in Myanmar that the train remains on the tracks at such amplitudes. Anton called this phenomenon “Myanmar Shake,” which greatly amused our fellow travelers.

Along with us in the carriage were Airy from New York, who has been traveling around the world for several months, and a young couple from the Basque Country. Anton got bourbon from Kentucky, bought at Domodedovo duty-free and started in Bangkok. Airy perked up and the conversation began. Cup after cup, our American travel companion talked about his adventures in Europe and the Middle East. He was particularly impressed by the world's tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which he said was "so f*cking tall!"

Soon the bourbon ran out and we all fell asleep in extreme positions. Bask slept in a sleeping bag right on the floor. I settled into two empty seats, extending the sleeping surface with my suitcase. The train dragged slowly through the wild darkness. Tree branches scraped along the body of the carriage and fell into the open windows. At rare stops, I heard in my sleep how passengers were talking among themselves, how the boys on the platform were shouting repeated phrases in their round tongue, offering to buy some kind of food. I remembered these phrases for a long time, without knowing what they meant. And to this day, sometimes these Burmese voices overheard at unknown stops suddenly come to mind. At five in the morning, when it was still barely light, the train arrived in Bagan.

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lost World

A light rain was falling. In the half-asleep dawn, silhouettes of pagodas were visible. There were dozens of them. No, there were hundreds of them around! Before going to see one of the most unusual places in the world, we decided to sleep for a couple of hours at the hotel after an overnight drive. But I couldn't sleep. I couldn't wait to see Bagan. I also remembered Tin Zu and Maa Zee and the boy Ni-Ni from Inva. I kept imagining how they were there, day after day, on the pier. Probably, if you come there in a couple of years, you can easily find them in the village, in the same place. And give them photographs.

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Some practical information: you can stay either in New Bagan or Old Bagan. The latter is located in the heart of the archaeological zone, close to all the most interesting sights. New Bagan is a settlement three and a half kilometers south of the old one, a small village whose residents make money from tourism and cattle breeding. There are few hotels; during the season, demand exceeds supply, so prices are quite high, and you need to book a room in advance - through booking or agoda.com (there are very few budget offers), or through a local travel agency. It is more expensive to stay in Old Bagan than in New Bagan.

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The correct way to get around Bagan is by bicycle or carriage. I had almost resigned myself to the rain, but suddenly the weather cleared and the sun came out. It was decided to take a bicycle. Rental cost $2 per day. As a big fan of cycling tourism, it was very interesting for me to test myself in the vastness of Myanmar. Anton had not ridden a bicycle for many years, and it was clear that at first he was not very happy about the idea, looking warily at the battered two-wheeled vehicle. The bikes were indeed ancient, with handlebars bent by horns and brakes that were almost non-functional. But by the time we got to New Bagan, we got used to it.

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Provincial Bagan, unlike noisy Mandalay, is a paradise for tourists. Everything that exists around is essentially made for them and for the numerous pilgrims who come to these places of worship from all over Buddhist Asia. There are many tourists, most of them came on elite individual tours, but there are also backpackers from Western Europe and America. No compatriots were seen, except for one man interested in local culture in the evening bar, but he knew why he came here.

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Tourism does not develop the best traits in the local population. Such naive and sincere people from Mandalay are already active businessmen here who, by hook or by crook, are trying to win the favor of your wallet and overtake their competitors in this. Of course, they still have time to grow up to Arab merchants, but the girls selling souvenirs are no longer more interested in you, but in how much money you have with you. Although here, too, in markets, human relationships do occur. I gave one girl several ruble coins as a souvenir, she smiled, ran away somewhere and brought me postcards from Bagan in return, wishing each other good luck. But I didn’t like it at all in the most famous Shwezigon pagoda here, a completely gilded huge stupa. Already on the approaches to it there is a lively competition for foreigners. Older women traders attack the traveler like vultures, playing subtle psychological games, handing him some trinket and calling it a gift. Then they almost force you to sit across from the counter and offer you a bunch of unnecessary things. Getting rid of them turned out to be difficult. And inside the courtyard of the pagoda, crooks also operate: posing as temple workers, they lure uncomprehending foreigners into some cubicle with Buddha, supposedly to look at the statue, pretend that they are performing a certain ritual, and then demand money for it. They were sent successfully. Yes, here are not at all those naive beautiful girls and boys with kind eyes that we met in Mandalay. No wonder I feel that mass tourism does not bring any good. Although it improves the economy well.

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Tourists with guides walk mainly along the beaten path around the most famous and ancient temples. But if you are on a bicycle, this gives you a huge scope for exploring Bagan. Just turn onto any dirt road, moving away from the main road, and you will see the same splendor, only there won’t be a soul around.

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Some stupas can be reached by steps. Their cramped terraces offer cosmic views. A big tourist attraction here is watching the sunset from one of these stupas. It is written about in all the guidebooks, and usually in the evening it is full of people who want to see the light show, which does not contribute to its correct perception. But there are several such stupas with steps, you just have to look for them.

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Now thousands of pagodas, huge and very tiny, with strange artifacts, are buried in the grass among tropical woodlands. Most are not supported in any way and continue to be destroyed by time and earthquakes. Some temples are being restored and even added to, which, in my opinion, is not always beneficial to the atmosphere of the place. It’s probably worth protecting them from extinction, but not renovating them with gilding and marble - then the mystical essence of the ancient abandoned city will not be lost.

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And a week would not be enough to enjoy this place. Having examined the main temples from the guidebooks, you can go deeper, go wherever your eyes look and find no less interesting temples there: study, be surprised, feel like a real discoverer.

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In the evening in Old Bagan it is pleasant to sit in some restaurant with a plate of rice and a glass of beer. Finding a place in Bagan that is comfortable for the European stomach is not difficult. Unlike Mandalay, for example, where in a city of a million people restaurants with European conditions (not even talking about food) can be found only in a couple of large hotels, here there are cafes at every turn. They serve mainly local cuisine, of course, but adapted - not so spicy, not so specific. We tried the tea salad - an outlandish dish that I had never even heard of. The fact is that Burma is the only country where tea leaves are not only brewed, but also eaten. I never would have thought that it would even be delicious! As for beer, the local Myanmar beer seemed to us very similar to a real intoxicating drink: dense, foamy, aromatic. No matter how wary I am of Asian beer brands, Maynmar beer is a completely unexpected discovery. Either the colonial traditions of the British were confidently preserved after their departure, or they have not yet realized that beer can be diluted to obtain greater profits, but the quality is truly surprising. There is also a less pleasant Mandalay Beer, with an unusual sweetish aftertaste.

You can sit in these establishments until late, but if you are on a bicycle and live in New Bagan, you are out of luck. Three and a half kilometers in pitch darkness were difficult for us. The roads here are illuminated only by the stars and the moon, and on a cloudy day you can’t see them at all. After nine, there is no traffic on the roads, and driving is scary. Halfway through the journey, a police patrol even became interested in us. Having inquired about who we were and where we were going, the police settled down behind us and began to accompany us and illuminate the path with their headlights until we turned onto the dirt road to our hotel.

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In fairness and for those especially doubtful, it must be said that security in Myanmar is good. Many of my friends, who once heard something about Burma, assured me that there was martial law, shooting and banditry. Firstly, you need to understand that there is very little objective information from there: the majority of Western, and not only, states are negatively disposed towards the existing regime in Myanmar, so the events taking place there will be presented accordingly, in the form of a mountain made out of a molehill. And secondly, all the events from the recent spring reports of unrest in Burma took place only in the Rakhine state bordering Bangladesh, and concerned interfaith and everyday tensions between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, which had nothing to do with tourists or the larger parts of the country as a whole. To correctly assess the current situation in the country, it is better to use insider sources. Here, for example, is the blog of a Russian resident of Yangon, who used to live in Perm.

The crime rate, especially against foreigners, is steadily approaching zero. There are no pickpockets, missing things from hotel rooms and other minor problems: for the people living here, Buddhism is not just a word. Most of these people will not do harm to others, so as not to cause problems for their karma. We felt absolutely safe in Myanmar, much safer than we feel in Moscow. But, of course, you shouldn’t forget about reasonable safety rules.

Fly with local airlines

The airport is located about seven kilometers from Old Bagan, near the village of Nyaung-U. In all schedules it will be listed as Nyaung-U Airport. The building, stylized as Buddhist temple architecture, looks serious. I expected to see here something like a dilapidated hangar with an old runway located next to it, which would compete in squalor with the record holder of my personal rating - the airport of the Serbian city of Nis, but I saw a lively new terminal full of foreign tourists.

The building is new, but we are in Myanmar. In the departure hall, the employees do not have a single computer in sight. Although recently the wi-fi has been working with difficulty. The flight schedule is written with a marker on a white board. Boarding passes and baggage tags are handwritten at check-in counters. They solemnly announce to us that the seating in the cabin is free. The baggage handler takes the suitcase, and we are sent to wait for the flight announcement. The employee smiles from ear to ear and, without hiding his emotions, points to the new, apparently just recently installed LG monitors - our flight will appear on them!

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Aviation in Myanmar consists of several airlines operating mostly older ATR turboprop aircraft. The routes between the main airports of the country for all companies are built the same way - the plane flies from Yangon in a circle - either clockwise or counterclockwise - landing at intermediate points, disembarking and picking up passengers and after 15 minutes taking off again, like an air minibus. Yangon-Inle Lake-Mandalay-Bagan-Yangon. Planes also fly north - to the mountainous provinces at the foot of the Himalayas; to the new capital of Myanmar, Naypyitaw; on the coast in Ngapali Beach and somewhere to the south, in small towns. But in Myanmar you have to be on your guard, flights are often canceled or rescheduled, so the day before departure you should check with a travel agency about the situation.

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Just before boarding, people are driven into a storage area in front of the gate. There, passengers wait for the bus to arrive, and a special person with the flight number in his hands announces that they are ready to board. He runs around the hall, waving a sign and loudly calling the destination and the airline.

We flew with AirBagan. The planes, contrary to expectations, were not destroyed, they were good. The interior is clean and the level of service is quite normal. On the way, however, we encountered a thunderstorm and some serious turbulence. There was sparkle outside the window. The small plane, like a small boat during a storm, was thrown by powerful currents in all directions, and I had to get nervous. But a little over an hour later we landed in Yangon.

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19/02/2014

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Life is like an Amazing Journey.

In the Irrawaddy River valley, ancient pagodas, temples, sacred caves and stupas preserve the memory of the former capital of the Burmese Empire. Today Bagan (Bagan) is called a ghost town. In 849 it was founded by King Anorakhta, and already in 1287 it was destroyed by the troops of the Mughal Khan Kublai Khan. Since then, not a single attempt has been made to restore it. The inhabitants, who had spent so much effort building numerous temples and pagodas, abandoned their city, and for hundreds of years it stood in majestic silence.

Today Bagan is a kind of Buddhist mecca. Pilgrims from all over the country flock here, as well as tourists who are interested in the architecture and culture of ancient Myanmar.

There are more than 5,000 pagodas in Bagan. Most of them are made of red and white stone, but the most significant ones, Shwe Zigon and Lokanda Kyaung, are covered with gold. They are very popular among pilgrims. The approaches to them are paved, and there are many shopping pavilions scattered around.

The history of the creation of Shwe Zigon Pagoda is very interesting. The Ceylon king brought a sacred tooth of Buddha from Kandy as a gift to the Bagan king Anuratha. The pagoda was built specifically to store the relic, and a white elephant indicated the construction site. Anuratha placed a copy of the precious gift on the elephant's back and said that this shrine will be kept in the place where the elephant kneels. The king kept his word, and construction of the Shwe Zigon Pagoda began on the spot where the elephant knelt. But Anuratha's days were numbered, and he managed to build only three terraces of this pagoda. Kyansitha, the king's heir, completed the construction, which, in total, lasted only 7 months and 7 days. The material for the construction of the pagoda was stone from Mount Tiyun. At the behest of the master, dozens of his subjects were engaged in his prey. After construction, the pagoda was covered with gold and to this day is an extremely beautiful structure. “Shwe Zigon is known in the world of people, in the world of spirits and in the world of Brahma” - this is how the completion of the great pagoda was announced.

The Shwe San Da Pagoda is especially popular among tourists. In the evening, climbing to its top, you can watch magnificent sunsets.

In addition to a large number of pagodas, Bagan is also famous for its temples. These buildings, as a rule, have a symmetrical shape and four altars with Buddha statues, which are directed towards each cardinal direction. The temple caves of Gubyaukzhi are famous for their labyrinths, the walls of which the ancient Bagan people decorated with frescoes with often absolutely fantastic scenes.

The temples of Bagan still remember its former rulers. The third king of Bagan, Alaungsitu, built a magnificent temple, the meditation niches of which had a wonderful view of the city. The king spent a lot of time here and was killed just during meditation by his own son, who wanted to seize the throne of his father.

The amazing temple was built by the Mon king Manuha, who was taken prisoner by king Aniruda. The architecture of the Manuhi temple consists of three cubes of different sizes. From the inside, the entire square space of the hall is occupied by a ten-meter statue of a seated Buddha. His head rests on the ceiling, his back, elbows and knees support the walls on all sides. The craftsmen who were involved in the construction were able to convey how cramped the Buddha was in this confinement. In the side halls there is the same image of captivity with the help of the Buddha squeezed on all sides, and in the fourth the Buddha is depicted in a state of nirvana, lying in a coffin. But even the coffin is too small for him, and its lid is only a few centimeters from the Buddha's head. King Manuha, who lost his freedom and spent the rest of his life in captivity in a foreign country, wanted to convey with the help of this structure all the bitterness of captivity. The chronicles say that in order to build such an amazing temple, Manuha sold his royal ruby.

Ananda Temple, named after one of Buddha's favorite disciples, is one of the most visited temples in Bagan. It was built in 1091 and is very well preserved to this day. On the walls of the temple are written biographies of Buddha, and in the center are four nine-meter statues of a standing Buddha who has achieved nirvana. At one time, two of these statues were badly damaged by fire and had to be replaced with copies. The sculptures on the temple terraces depict scenes from the Jatakas, the narratives of the previous births of the Buddha. Legends say that the eight monks who were involved in the construction of the temple were killed after the completion of the work so that a temple similar to this would not appear anywhere else.

The tallest temple in Bagan is That Binh Yu. The name translates as “Omniscient”, this is one of the incarnations of Buddha. The temple was built by King Alaungsithu in the 12th century. Its terraces offer magnificent views of ancient Bagan. The central staircase that leads to the temple is decorated with statues of guards with faces facing east, and inside there is an extraordinary effect of lightness of the structure, which arises due to the play of sunlight penetrating through numerous window openings.

Since the collapse of the Bagan kingdom, a lot has changed in the city - the reservoirs and ponds have dried up, the streets are overgrown with thick grass. And only countless temples and pagodas preserve the memory of bygone times.

But in addition to architectural attractions, local residents have managed to preserve the cultural heritage of their ancestors to this day. A characteristic feature of Bagan culture is the puppet theater. After all, the very first theaters in Burma appeared in the 11th century, and these were puppet theaters. Bagan artists, true virtuosos of their craft, still give interesting performances with beautiful, richly dressed dolls.

There is also a place for shopping in the ancient city. Local lacquer factories offer a delightful selection of all kinds of lacquer items. This is one of the most ancient crafts in Bagan. At each factory there is an opportunity to watch the craftsmen at work - this is very painstaking work. Each product is created manually in several stages. The material is mainly bamboo. The finished products are so beautiful and unique that it is almost impossible to leave without purchasing.

An amazing attraction in the vicinity of Bagan is Mount Popa, located 60 km southeast of the city. Translated from Burmese, “Popa” means “blooming”. The height of this mountain above sea level is 1518m. In clear weather it can be seen from Bagan itself.

A half-hour climb up the mountain will pay off with magnificent views of Bagan and the deep, picturesque canyon that open from above. A Buddhist monk built a rather steep staircase to the top of the mountain.

This mountain has been especially popular among pilgrims for over 700 years. Beliefs call it the habitat of spirits. In the Middle Ages, on the full moon holiday, abundant sacrifices were carried out on the top of the mountain.

In addition to the fact that “Blooming Mountain” is an important religious center, it is also an interesting natural monument - an extinct volcano. After all, at its top a real oasis has formed, which is fed from the inside by about two hundred underground springs.

And the Observation Tower with open and closed observation platforms became an island of civilization in Bagan. Tourists here are offered high-speed elevators, air conditioning, a restaurant with a luxurious panoramic view and many souvenirs made by local artisans.

In Burma, according to many tourists, travelers and scientists, there is the most interesting historical city in Southeast Asia - Bagan. This city was founded as the capital of the Burmese Empire in the ninth century on the banks of the Ayeyarwaddy. But in 1287, the “city of pagodas and temples,” as Bagan is also called, was defeated and destroyed by the troops of Kublai Khan and since then has never been rebuilt or restored. Along the entire coast of Bagan for twenty kilometers there are more than 2,000 Buddhist pagodas and about 1,000 temples and stupas, which are currently in ruins. During the flood that happened quite recently in those places, water washed away several hundred monuments from the face of the earth.
Burma's pagodas are located so close to each other that it feels like you are in a fairytale forest. Bagan has always been considered a religious center. And therefore, from the very foundation of the city, large-scale construction of monuments was carried out, of which there were a huge number.
To attract tourists and just guests, a highway and a large golf course were built near the city. The Taraban gate leads to the old part of the city. Now, although there are ruins left of these gates and the two temples on either side, they still attract attention because they make it clear what kind of civilization existed here in the old days.
The most famous building in the city is the Shwezigon Pagoda, which is also called the “golden pagoda”. It was built in 1057 by the founder of the royal dynasty, King Anorakhta. The pagoda is covered in gold and according to legend, it is believed that Buddha's tooth and collarbone are kept inside.
The Godopalin Pagoda is very interesting; from its almost destroyed terrace there is a beautiful view of the surrounding area. Or the Shwesanda Paya Pagoda, from the top observation deck of which it is very pleasant to admire the sunset in the evenings. Almost all pagodas are covered in gold, but most are built of white stone and red brick. From time to time, pagodas are restored and protected by law, so you can’t take anything from them with you; it’s easier to buy a souvenir at the market.
There are pagodas that are very beautifully painted with frescoes. Such pagodas include the Ananda Temple, in which the walls are decorated with paintings by masters.
The tallest temple in Bagan is Thatbinyu. Its height is 60 meters, and inside there are a lot of labyrinths, passages and galleries.
During the time of King Manuha in the mid-ninth century, the Manuha Temple was built, which contains four images of Buddha: three statues in a sitting position and one in a lying position. The walls of this temple are also decorated with beautiful paintings.
The largest Buddha statue is located in the Shinbinthaliyang Temple, built of red brick. The length of the statue is 18 meters.
A few tens of kilometers from Bagan is the sacred mountain of the gods Pop. The mountain is surrounded by a beautiful park. According to legend, nature spirits live in this mountain.
For a long time there were only puppet theaters in Burma. In the eleventh century, the first theaters appeared in Bagan, as Bagan was once called, and to this day puppeteers are considered masters of their craft. These masters lead a large, human-sized doll with sixty threads.

... If we compare them with a crown - an attribute of royalty, then its crown will undoubtedly be the city of Bagan. It is located on the eastern bank of the Irrawaddy River in the dry and arid lands of the central plain of the country. Bagan or Bagan was founded in 849 AD. In just a couple of hundred years, by the beginning of the 11th century, it became the capital of the first Burmese empire, the heart of the vast kingdom of Theravada Buddhists.

The city flourished. It became a cosmopolitan center of religious and secular life. Monks from Buddhist countries came here. From distant India, Ceylon, and the Khmer Empire, scientists and poets came to Bagan to study versification, phonetics, grammar, astrology, alchemy, medicine, law...

But one day, at the end of the 13th century, everything came to an end. History connects the decline of this kingdom with the Mongol invasion. The same ones, well known to us from school history lessons, who brought enormous disasters with their invasion of Rus'. The magnificent city was plundered, abandoned and years of slow destruction dragged on.

Bagan Myanmar was originally built from both wood and brick, but not a single wooden building has survived to this day. Time, earthquakes and fires consumed them, leaving only bricks. Bagan Burma ceased to exist, the capital was moved first to Pinya, and then - for centuries - to Ava (Inwa), near modern Mandalay. And on the ruins of a once large city, only a small village has survived.

Temples of Bagan and their magic

It is the site of temples and pagodas, most built from the 11th century to the 13th century by the ancient kings and rulers of Burma. There is no horizon - spiers stretch upward on all sides - openwork turrets in the shape of corn cobs and pineapple. Gold and brick. And the temples themselves are brick, stone, and gold. Small, big, huge. All types, shapes and designs, different aesthetics - there are towers, pagodas, giant stone bells, and pumpkin-shaped structures. Some of them are truly gigantic in size.

Many of Bagan's temples were architectural marvels of their time, and their grandeur still awes visitors today. Masonry that you can't fit a sheet of paper between the bricks, massive roofs that are supported by the skillful use of arches and vaults, windows made in such a way that rays of sunlight fall directly on the faces of massive Buddhas seated in vaulted rooms.

Today, about half of these magnificent red brick structures are in dire need of urgent restoration or conservation. In many temples, access to the top is closed. But where you can climb up, past the images of the Enlightened One oriented to the cardinal directions, there opens up a view of the surrounding area that is impossible to forget... Now Bagan is a place of pilgrimage.

Bagan Myanmar and modernity

Now there is no such city of Bagan. Now in its place there is an archaeological zone. That is, a huge protected zone of about 40 square kilometers, with stupas, pagodas, temples, several villages and an airport scattered throughout it.

Ancient chronicles say that Bagan Myanmar once had 4,446 temples on its wide plains. And now, according to UNESCO 1988, there are only 2,230 Bagan temples. But it will take a lot of time to examine this quantity. However, most tourists come to Bagan Burma for only a couple of days. For a quick tour, you can visit the following very, very, very temples of Bagan:

• Dhammayangyi Temple , the largest temple in Bagan;
• Ananda Temple , the most well preserved, the most revered, the most beautiful temple;
• Thatbinyu temple , a high temple (height 61 meters!);
• Shwesandaw Temple , famous for its sunset views;
• Bupiah temple , a temple overlooking the river.

Bagan Burma has many interesting places for travelers to visit, in addition to those listed. Perhaps the only problem for tourists here will be: which Bagan temples to see and in what order.

Weather in Bagan

Among all other cities in Myanmar, Bagan city is an ideal place for tourists to visit, regardless of the time of year. Unlike lower Myanmar, there is no rainy season, so tourists can explore the ancient city all year round.

From January to May, temperatures can reach 40 degrees Celsius during the day and drop to 27 degrees at night. At other times it is cooler here, but the proximity to the tropics has an effect: the average temperature is 30 degrees.

Bagan photo

Here, the awe-inspiring temples and pagodas have a special magic in the early morning hours when they emerge from the fog. Or, on the contrary, at sunset, when the copper-red disk of the sun hangs over the ridge of mountains. A truly stunning view and piercing silence, broken only by the bells of grazing sheep. The sun is going down. It's getting dark. Light cirrus clouds light up golden. And a lilac haze creeps along the bottom and everything around takes on alien features.

Tourists adore Shwesandaw Temple and gather there every evening to watch the spectacular Bagan sunset. The first five minutes of the climb are easy, and then the steps get steeper... If you don't feel dizzy, climb up and you will be rewarded with a breathtaking view of the sunset, when the rays of the setting sun illuminate the temples and landscape with gold. Photographing Bagan is an amazing reward for any photographer.

Dusty roads of Bagan

How to get to Bagan Myanmar? You can fly from Yangon in about an hour and a half. From Mandalay - in half an hour. By car – 12 hours from Yangon and 7 hours from Mandalay. There are also train and bus connections from these cities. And from Mandalay you can also get here by boat.

Today's Bagan can be divided into three parts: Nyaung U and Wetkyi Inn in the northeast, Old Bagan in the northwest and New Bagan in the southwest. Nyaung U has the largest selection of budget accommodation and places to eat, but is furthest from local attractions. As a rule, tourist groups stay in New Bagan; the hotels are of average quality, and it is also a long way from the temples. Old Bagan caters to wealthy travelers and is closest to the monuments, but the hotels here are also more expensive.

For a budget trip with minimal expenses, it is recommended to stay at Nyaung U. That’s what we did.

Bagan Burma - ours in the city

Evening has come. We settled down comfortably in a large room at the Bagan Princess Hotel. Although they haven’t quite settled down yet, they’ve just thrown their things away. In an hour and a half, the sun was inevitably going to set, and we really wanted to photograph the sunset. Consequently, there was no time to sit around, it was necessary to quickly find a spectacular pagoda and take the right position for photographing...

Morning came much earlier than I was ready to greet it. It was difficult to look at my husband’s face, cheerful and bursting with energy... But everything returned to normal after a shower and breakfast. There were many plans for this day: we would watch Bagan and only that.

Bagan has lasted for two centuries, it has thousands and thousands of temples, they are freely spread across a huge multi-kilometer plain. We had to decide on the method of transportation between the pagodas: by car or by horse-drawn carriage. We left the hotel and saw yesterday’s driver looking bored. When we appeared, a smile shone on his face and he passionately began to convince us to make the right choice by getting into his car. At the same time, as one of the weighty arguments, he relied on the air conditioning present in his cabin. The only bad thing was that, as it turned out later, this air conditioner was on its last legs.

Everyone voted for the car, because our imagination was excited by the landscapes that were to be seen. And a car, we thought, or rather than a horse, could take us to something mysterious, unknown. And there, having climbed to the top of the Bagan temple, one could see something amazing and hidden, so to speak, look beyond the edge of the universe... We bargained for 50 dollars.

At the beginning of the trip, we, like many others in such a situation, often slowed down and, vying with each other, pointed out either a special curl on the facade, or a dragon, or some noteworthy detail of the structure, or a protruding fragment of something. something incomprehensible. Then we calmed down and quietly, without interruption, began to look out of the window. Apparently the aura of this amazing area had a calming effect on us. Calm, desert, rare palm trees, long yellow fields, occasional islands of greenery, stupas, pagodas...

We arrived at a large pagoda. As usual, there is a scattering of tents with souvenirs near it. In dashes, as quickly as lightning, we move into the bowels of the temple. At the same time, Alina gets lost; it looks like she was captured by souvenir dealers. But a minute later we are all together again, and we begin to see the sights.

All the temples in Myanmar are supposed to be walked only clockwise, but we always get lost and walk counterclockwise. After unsuccessful attempts to correct the situation, we give up on it. Then we look at the second temple of Bagan... The third... In them