Bagan Things to Do Tips by Waxbag

Dhammayangyi Pahto Dhammayangyi Pahto Review

This massive temple was completed in 1170 attributed to Kalagya Min. In a strange revenge to the king after he died the builders pilled rubble in the ambulatories for havin them build a motarless structure so labor intensive. This motoraless brick work is some of the best in Bagan, but unfortunately the upper terraces cannot be accessed like other temples in Bagan.

Address: Old Bagan

Shwesandaw Paya Shwesandaw Paya Review

This temple built in 1057, is one of the more interesting stupas. Stupas are cone shaped and are solid on the inside containing some sort of relic from the Buddha. He must have had a lot of hair and teeth! Shwesandaw supposedly contains a Buddha hair from Thaton.

This stupa is a great place to photograph the surrounding temples, especially a wide-angle shot at sunset.

Address: Old Bagan

Standing Buddha Ananda Temple Review

The standing buddha in Ananda is the most interesting off all Bagan. There is a reclining buddha in Manuha Paya, but this one is far more interesting and easier to photograph. Standing buddhas are fairly rare in Burma anyway. It is completely gilded in gold and has a hand position that symbolizes the Buddha's first sermon.

Address: Ananda Pahto

Ananda Pahto Ananda Temple Review

This is the largest of the best perserved temples in Bagan. Built by King Kyanzittha in 1105 it marks the begining of the Middle period. The gilded spires stand 51 meters above the ground and can be seen nearly everywhere in Old Bagan. The base of the temple is nearly square with sides of 51 meters.

Inside is a standing buddha (which may be unusual didn't see many standing buddhas in Burma) that stands 9.5 meters tall.

Address: Old Bagan

Bike Around an Ancient Wonder of South East Asia

Bagan is one of the most fascinating ancient cities in South-East Asia and one of the most unusual sites in the world. It was one of the great cities of South-East Asia 900 years ago. Its people were obsessive in building religious structures. There are literally thousands of structures, stupas, and temples in a small area along the desert landscape of the Ayeyarwady River. This place is dry!

From any place in this ancient city you can see at least a dozens if not hundreds of temples depending on how high your are. It was possible, at the time, to climb up into the temples or pathos and get a great view from the their summits. The pathos have four sides with interior spaces many times including a stairway to an upper level. The stupas or zedis are solid with a Budha relic inside. Many of these temples you can climb the outside for outstanding views.

Over the 250 year period of the major construction of the city, there were many different cultural and religious influences that caused new designs and architecture of the temples. So there are many distinctly different temples.

Kublai Khan and the Mongols ripped through here in 1287 and found the city deserted. It has never been repopulated since and has remained untouched, save the earthquakes that have required some temple restorations. There are some small villages located in the archeological zone but for the most part there is no one here. You really get a feeling of solitude walking and biking around in this ghost town.

There is plenty of accommodation here and excellent restaurants. To the north of the archeological zone in Nyaun U you can find nice guest houses that provide good accommodation at a great value. They have bikes which you can hire for the day and use to easily see the major sites at Bagan. I spent three days biking around the old city. The roads are all dirt and dust. Make sure you have a good bike with descent tire pressure. Go to Mingalazedi or Shwesandaw Paya for the sunset view of the city.

Directions: Bagan, in the middle of Burma easily reached by Mandalay or Taunggyi.