Temple in bagan city myanmar. Myanmar: a country frozen in gold

Bagan is the capital of the first state in Myanmar. During the heyday, more than 10 thousand religious structures were built on the local plains; today, in the abandoned temple complex, there are more than 2 thousand ancient Buddhist temples. Ancient pagodas, temples, sacred caves and stupas, located in the bend of the Ayeyarwaddy 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 their 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 the architecture and culture of 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, tiles and underground galleries.

From the history of Bagan

Bagan played an important role in the cultural development of the Burmese kingdoms, it was here that Burmese art was born. But it attracts the attention of historians not only as a 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 rapidly and immediately presented the world with its delightful temples, full-fledged administrative and religious systems.

The date of the founding of Bagan is considered to be AD 850. NS. 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 his reign, Aniruda significantly expanded the territory, annexing neighboring lands to it, raised the cultural level of the inhabitants and strengthened foreign policy alliances. He strove for Bagan to surpass all the states known at that time, bringing here the most talented masters 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, many kings ruled Bagan; some were peaceful and focused on diplomatic relations, others waged bloody wars and collected military campaigns, periods of peace were followed by years of violent uprisings. From the end of the 12th century. for Bagan began a time of oblivion, defeats in wars, the collapse of statehood, and population decline.

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, in the enchanted ghost town, only stupas and temples have survived, keeping the memory of the greatness of Bagan.

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

Bagan - land of pagodas

How to get there

There are no direct flights from Russia to Myanmar, and even more so, it is impossible to get to Bagan by plane. Several airlines organize 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 take a plane to Yangon, and from there to Bagan is already a stone's throw. Not far from Nyang-U there is an airport that receives liners from Yangon.

You can also get to Bagan by land from Thailand (Myanmar's borders with Bangladesh, India, Laos and China are closed). If you prefer this option, please note that when entering Myanmar through the land border, tourists are limited in movement 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. Tourist buses leave from Yangon and Mandalay to Bagan. Another option is to take a tourist steamer in Mandalay and get to Bagan along the Ayeyarwaddy River, which will take approximately 12 hours.

Search for flights to Yangon (closest airport to Bagan)

3 things to do in Bagan:

1. Take a 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.
2. In one of the temples, take pictures with the locals dressed in colorful costumes. For a small fee, they will happily showcase their long neck decorated with spirals that look like copper rings for a photo.
3. Watch the sunset by climbing to the top of Shwe San Da Pagoda.

What to travel on

The temples of Bagan are scattered haphazardly 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 will have to go.

There are several ways to get around Bagan. The cheapest option is to 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 the local exotic 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

Choosing where to stay: in Old Bagan, New Bagan or in Nyang-U - you need to based on your preferences in rest. If the main goal is to visit temples, but there is no need for evening entertainment, pay attention to Old Bagan, from here it is most convenient to get to the shrines. If you cannot imagine your vacation without nightlife and visiting restaurants, your choice is New Bagan. The bulk of cafes and other entertainment venues are concentrated here, and there is also 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, in addition, there is a bus station and a market. From the inconvenience: you also need to get to the temples by transport.

Oh Bagan. The first day.

While at Inle Lake, in Indain, we met Russian tourists who were already completing their trip to Burma. And to our question what they liked more, they answered with one voice - BAGAN! So what is Bagan?

Now these are ruins occupying a huge territory, the ruins of temples and pagodas, the ruins of religious buildings, most of which were built during the XI-XIII centuries, when Bagan was the capital of the kingdom. It was in Bagan that the Golden Age of the Burmese Empire took place. In 1057, King Anoratha took possession of the capital of the Mon kingdom and confiscated ancient manuscripts, took away Buddhist monks, artists and artisans in order to turn Bagan into a cultural center. Bagan has become a center of science, religion and culture, one of the largest cities in the world. Temples and pagodas were built over two centuries. It is difficult to say how many temples there were. According to some data, there were about 5,000 of them before the arrival of the Mongols. In 1287, the Bagan kingdom was occupied by the Mongols. This was preceded by a battle, during which the Burmese army lined up its powerful war elephants. But the Mongols began to shoot with bows at the eyes of the elephants, and they trampled their own infantry. The city was plundered, golden pagodas were stripped, numerous religious relics were stolen. Bagan fell into decay ...

Now Bagan is like a big village, it is very quiet, calm, lazy here. After the crazy Mandalay, this was especially noticeable. The entrance to the territory of Bagan costs 10 dollars per person-tourist - after all, this is a historical site.

After a little rest at the hotel after the move, we went out. We rented two bicycles and went to explore Bagan. But first, there are three organizational points: currency exchange, breakfast and a card.

The card was issued at the hotel, but rather mediocre, so it's better to buy it anyway. Money was not changed at the hotel, but they were willingly changed in a large souvenir shop Shwe War Thein, there is a pointer to it from the road. The course is good, the shop itself is also good. Had breakfast traditional chicken curry at some local untitled cafe. The main tourist center of old Bagan is located in the area of ​​the Ananda temple - there are also cafes and restaurants, shops such as almost a supermarket, souvenir shops and horse-bike rental. Walk from the hotel about 20 minutes on foot, 7 minutes by bike.

On the first day, we got the following route: Gawdapalin Temple - Mahabodi Temple - BuPaya Pagoda - Ananda Temple - Shwe San daw Pagoda.

Gawdawpalin Temple

This temple was the very first from our hotel. So naturally we started with him. Gawdawpalin was built in the 11th century. One of the oldest and most revered temples in Bagan. The temple is 60m high, square in shape, on each side there are images of Buddha, there are 10 of them in the temple. The temple has two floors, but the entrance to the second tier is now closed, due to the fact that the structure is very ancient and the second floor is unsafe. The bans were established just a couple of years ago. Previously, you could climb anywhere.

It was our first temple, the first Buddhas in Bagan, so we examined it for a long time.

It is worth noting one unpleasant moment - a huge number of people are everywhere! And not a tourist people, but a local one. Although the tourist was also enough. The fact is that we arrived in Bagan during school holidays and mass vacations, so there were probably even more locals than tourists. They were brought in whole trucks, all this created a crowd in the temple, and spoiled all the sensations of the mysteriousness of the place.

Mahabodi Temple
This temple is significantly different from all the temples of Bagan. It was built on the model of Indian temples in the 13th century. The whole is decorated with statues of a seated Buddha. Although some niches are empty - the statues of Buddhas were knocked down by the Mongols during the capture of Bagan. In some places, a remake is visible - the statues have been restored.
On the territory of the temple, a cute Burmese woman told us the basic rules of behavior in the temple: if you want to smoke - smoke, you can, if you want to sleep, rest - go to bed and sleep, you can even have a drink if you want, the main thing is to take off your shoes and socks before entering the territory of the temple and not sit with your feet to the Buddha, they must either be removed under oneself, or put on the floor, otherwise it turns out to be disrespectful. And so everything is possible, Buddha will not be offended. Good religion is Buddhism)

On the way to BuPaya, we were caught by the rain, from which we were hiding in this nameless pagoda, well, she probably still has a name, only it was not on our map. The locals, despite the rain, lived their own lives and went about their business.

After passing the turn to BuPaya, we came across another "nameless" pagoda, which was just in the middle of the vegetable gardens. Here we were again caught by the rain. In general, the weather on the first day was cloudy, but on the one hand this is a plus - there was no extreme heat. The unknown pagoda was all decorated with carvings, mythical animals in the corners and no one.

Having returned a little back, we finally got to BuPaya.

BuPaya is the oldest of the Bagan pagodas, it was originally built in 1162, although according to some sources the stupa itself belongs to the third century. It is located on the banks of the Ayeyarwaddy River. During the 1975 earthquake, the stupa collapsed into the water, but was completely restored. This place is also revered by the Burmese, so there were many of them here. There were also many shops, beggars, and cafes. But not all cafes, especially those on the very shore, aroused our trust ...

On the shore, near the stupa, there are a lot of boatmen who ride along the river for a fee. By the way, as an option, you can see the sunset on the Ayeyarwady.

Having decided that there would be enough temples for us today, we wanted to go to the hotel, especially since it was starting to rain again. But first I wanted to have lunch. Dined at a tourist restaurant, right next to the ancient stone gate. Lunch cost 10 thousand kyats for two, but we ate pasta. In fact, it turned out to be just pasta, but after the chicken curry, the pasta was at least some kind of variety.

After lunch and the rain ended, and the desire to watch the pagodas reappeared. And we went to the Ananda temple, about which our Mongol friend told us on the train.

Ananda temple
As the Lonely planet says, if you do not have time at all and you can inspect one or two temples in Bagan, then one of these temples should be the Ananda temple - the largest, most majestic, most beautiful and important and revered temple of Bagan. Indeed, it is so. The temple ranks first in my ranking of Bagan temples. And this is the only temple of Bagan, where we visited twice.

The temple was built in 1090. It symbolically expresses the infinite wisdom of the Buddha. Its square perimeter (53 m each side) is surrounded by walls. 17 stupas with a height of up to 51 m rise above them. The temple is a classic religious building of early Bagan. On the 900th anniversary of the temple in 1990, Ananda's stupas were gilded. A long gallery leads to the temple from each side. As usual, souvenir sellers are located in the central gallery.

In the temple itself there are hundreds of Buddha statues: 4 teak gilded 9.5 meter high statues in full growth (only two of the four statues are genuine, and the other two are just copies, the original ones were lost during a fire in 1600) and hundreds of small ones in the niches of the tall walls of the temple ... The entrances to the temple are closed by huge teak doors. During the earthquake in 1975, the temple was badly damaged, but was completely restored. The upper tiers of the temple are closed to visitors.

Despite the huge number of people in the temple, there were practically no people in the courtyard. Here one could quietly sit on the benches, looking at the stone statues that adorn the temple, enjoy the silence and contemplate the beautiful world around. Free WiFi is expected on the territory of the temple. We have not tested how it works.

The silence was broken only by the ringing of the bell. By the way about that. Almost every large church has a bell (we called it a tambourine for some reason), which must be struck three times for good luck or wish. Therefore, striking the tambourine for us was a kind of ritual, without which not a single visit to the temple could do.

The time was approaching sunset, and it is customary to contemplate sunsets in Bagan at the top of some pagoda. The most popular and closest place to us is the Shwe San Daw Pagoda - Shwezando. One of the few pagodas now where you can climb and see the views around. Just 500 meters from Ananda Temple to Schwezando. The literal translation of the pagoda is golden hair, since it was the hair of the Buddha that was placed in the pagoda as a sacred relic. It is believed that this pagoda is the architectural progenitor of all further stupas not only in Bagan, but also in Burma.

When we arrived, there were already a lot of people ... We had to climb high up, along a rather steep staircase. People were climbing upward with cameras and tripods. The very terrace of the pagoda is not so big and not rubbery ... By the number of professional photography equipment and indeed any modern gadgets, it was possible to arrange a whole exhibition. I was nervously smoking on the sidelines with my semi-professional DSLR. I have never met such a number of photographers in one place on one pagoda, well, perhaps during the sunrise in Angkor Wat, but there was more territory there.

And the people kept coming and coming, on bicycles, carts, cars ...

But if you disconnect from the number of man-tourists per square meter of the pagoda and look around, then of course the spirit was breathtaking. Pagodas, pagodas, pagodas, temples, large and small, near and far, barely visible on the horizon - some kind of cosmic and unreal landscape. We were not lucky with sunset that evening, the whole day was cloudy and rainy, so the sky was covered with clouds, the sun made its way through them only a couple of times under the enthusiastic ooh-ahs of tourists and hundreds of camera clicks.

When the sun went down completely, everyone moved down. We, in order not to create crowds, remained at the top of the pagoda. Some blue mesmerizing fog was spreading below….

Oh Bagan. Second day.

On the second day, we decided to take a cart with a horse and see the distant temples for us. The cart was bargained for 15 thousand kyats for the whole day ($ 16), and went to the Shwezigon pagoda, which is located five kilometers from Old Bagan, practically in Nyang U.

Ancient chronicles testify that King Anoratha placed the Buddha's forehead bandage on the back of a bejeweled white elephant and commanded: "Where the elephant kneels, a stupa will be built to store sacred relics!" This is how the location was determined. At the base of the Shwezigon Pagoda, a tooth, rib and headband of the Buddha are embedded. The pagoda was built by two rulers for 7 years and 7 days. In translation, it means - the Pledge of victory. The pagoda is a huge gilded stupa with various pavilions and galleries around. The pagoda is very respected among the locals, moreover, it is not located in the archaeological zone, so in the morning there were mostly locals here.

They brought morning gifts and treats to Buddha, prayed and sang songs.

The weather cleared up today, the sun was shining brightly and the gold in the pagoda just blinded the eyes. Our attention was attracted by a small puddle in front of the stupa, near which people were crowding. The locals took turns kneeling down and looking at something in this puddle. As we were explained, it is in this place that the spire of the stupa is clearly visible in the reflection of the water.

As usual, a gallery leads to the pagoda, in which the market is located. We walked through the gallery to take a little break from the sun, which worked out today and yesterday. As a result, we returned to the cart with T-shirts, three cans of tanaka, coins and other souvenirs, we could not avoid the merchants).

Htilominlo temple

The temple is located between Nyang U and old Bagan. This large temple was built in the form of an even regular square in 1218 by a king whose name I cannot even pronounce - King Nantaungmya. The king erected this temple in Bagan on this very place, because at the moment when he was elected king among the other five brothers, he was right here.

Taking off our shoes, we entered the territory of the temple. The temple is notable for the fact that, in addition to the statues of Buddhas (four on each floor on each side of the world), frescoes depicting Buddha have also been preserved on its walls. The passage to the upper floors is naturally closed.

In the temple, we found a group of praying monks. The sight is very authentic and mesmerizing.

Carved stone figures have been preserved on the outer walls of the temple, but walking around the temple and examining them was a real torture: the red brick of the temple was simply reddened by the midday sun. Therefore, somehow, having ridden on one leg, we examined only one side of the temple.

Souvenirs around the temple, there were a lot of them here: dolls, T-shirts, bells, paintings….

After Htilominlo Temple we returned to the center of Old Bagan for lunch. On the way, I watched the life around…. Bagan is a real village like Kahlo in Northern Burma. Incomprehensible clunkers, cycle rickshaws, carts with horses, tourists on bicycles - everyone went about their business ... And around the temples, pagodas and stupas ...

We arrived at the Star Beans restaurant, founded by a chef who has worked in hotel restaurants for 15 years. That is, by definition, a restaurant should be cool and very touristy. And soon it should enter the top of Lonely Planet.

White tablecloths on the tables, fresh flowers in white vases, there is even a washstand, where a cute Burmese woman from a silver jug ​​will pour on your hands and offer you a white towel to dry your hands. Nice, but ... not very tasty. The food is heavily Europeanized and bland. Despite the varied menu, there was nothing sensible, except for chicken curry. In general, we ordered an exorbitant price of chicken curry, brought boiled rice and unleavened chicken breast. And that's all. No spices, salads or snacks for you. My husband refused to eat it and went to his favorite local cafe, but I ordered a dessert - baked bananas. Nice, but very luscious.

While my husband was waiting in line with the locals to have lunch, and there was a decent line, I went to see the pagoda, which was next to Star Beans. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the pagoda. But I really liked her.

There was no one inside, just me. The whole pagoda is carved, some carved ornaments, flowers and unknown creatures. There is only one Buddha and a mirrored corridor led to him. There was a lot of shade in the pagoda, so you could safely walk without jumping)

After our lunch, it was time for lunch at our horse, so we returned to the hotel for an hour and a half to chill in the pool.

By the middle of the day, I was already confused about the temples and their names. Therefore, I began to simply photograph the tablets of the temples (if any). After lunch we drove to the largest Dhammayangyi Temple. Built in 1167 by King Narathu. The temple is visible from anywhere in Bagan, it is so big. Inside the temple there are huge long dark corridors with high vaults. Buddhas here are not like everywhere else - not gold, but colored. The temple has many different carved windows, entrances and exits. In general, a beautiful temple.

In one place, a staircase to the top was opened. Despite the prohibiting sign, we climbed there, but we did not see anything interesting, except for the millennial mouse shit ... but we climbed barefoot ...

The time was drawing to a close. The driver invited us to meet him at the Shwezando pagoda, but we were already there, so he brought us to some other place, the name of which I did not remember ...

We arrived early, people were just getting ready to watch the sunset, so we took the trump seats in the stalls. It was a two-story mini-temple of course with Buddhas. To go upstairs and take the best places, you need to squeeze into such narrow turrets.

Upstairs, local kids were already waiting for tourists with postcards and paintin. And I didn’t tell about "paintin"? In general, these are paintings made of sand: a sketch is made on a piece of cloth, then covered with glue, then sand is sprinkled along the lines of the drawing and then paints are added. And paintin, that is, the picture, is ready! The motives of the paintings are the same as the text of the merchants. They first ask for just look, just look, then they tell that there are 8 days of the week in Burma, that Wednesday is divided into two days, and this is shown in the picture. They also show paintin with monsters and mutants of elephants and other animals, and then there is a story that the painting costs only 8-10 dollars. One, two or three times you can listen to it, but then the "paintin" began to strain .. By the way, we naturally bought paintin, but my picture did not reach Moscow ... somewhere I lost it (((

By the way, the children at this pagoda turned out to be unobtrusive, they realized that we already know a lot about paintin ourselves, so they just smiled at the cameras.

Nevertheless, the sun was slowly setting, buses and hundreds of carts rushed to the temple, cyclists threw their bikes without really parking them, taking off their shoes on the go. Everyone ran to watch the sunset. Lucky for the sunset today. As with the views around.

Oh Bagan. Day three.

On the third day of our stay in Bagan, the pagodas, temples and Buddhas were already so boring and did not cause such wild delight that we just took the bike and rode around Bagan without a clear route, stopping only where we were interested. I no longer rushed from pagoda to pagoda, trying to photograph all-all-all-temples from all-all-all sides, all the statues and each Buddha. And this day was the most interesting, we visited the most beautiful pagodas of Bagan with stunning views.

The Tatbinho Temple was the last major Bagan temple that we did not cover in the previous two days. It is necessary to finish off the compulsory program. We drove up to the temple not from the main entrance, but from the side. The chief had too many merchants. I just glanced inside the temple. In principle, nothing new, well, except for the statues of Buddha. And this was my fatal mistake, sellers of precious stones followed me from the temple. Ruby, ruby, ruby ​​- they whispered like a conspiracy, pursuing us as we walked around the temple.

I was reminded of Cambodia, where they also sell cheap precious stones, mostly sapphires. A local merchant burned them with a special burner to prove the authenticity of his $ 20 stones. We even got the expression “let's go burn the glass,” which means let's go and see the jeweler. Burmese traders offered naturally rubies. But here they did not have gas burners at hand, so they simply laid stones on the bricks and pounded them with all their might with another brick, proving that they were not glass. So we got another expression "let's go and beat the glass." The cost of rubies started at $ 100 and plummeted to $ 10.

There are a lot of pagodas and stupas around Tatbinho. One such stupa could be climbed, which I did. As usual, you need to take off your shoes, as usual the stupa stands in the sun and, naturally, it is made of red brick. But the views are beautiful.

From the stupa, Tatbinu is very clearly visible, the highest temple of Bagan, by the way, is 61 m. The tiers of the temple are clearly visible. Unfortunately, the temple was badly damaged during the earthquake, therefore, as almost everywhere, access to the upper tiers in Tatbinia is closed.

But access is open in a nearby temple with an unspoken name Shwegugyi, which means Big Golden Cave. The temple was built in just seven months. We did not go inside the temple, we would not see anything except Buddhas, flowers and paintings. We were only interested in the second tier. And he did not disappoint. The views around were kind of unearthly. As if from another planet. Stupas, pagodas, a green carpet of trees and bushes, in places with crimson blotches from flowers. And as far as the eye can see, stupas stick out. And like giants among this rise the main temples of Bagan, which we have visited during these three days.

The temple itself is beautiful, with turrets at the corners, decorated with decorative green tiles and stone carvings.

Then we decided to go towards New Bagan. In that direction, as we were told by Russian tourists met at one of the pagodas, there is the most beautiful Bagan pagoda, simply the coolest place. They did not remember what it was called, it was not on our map, but they showed its approximate location. And so we drove towards New Bagan in search of an unknown, but very beautiful pagoda.

On the way we stopped at the Manuha temple. This temple was built by the captive king of the monks, Manuha. Manukha was captured during Burma's invasion of the Taton Monk kingdom. Then the Mon kingdom was plundered and destroyed. Ancient Buddhist relics and manuscripts were taken to Bagan, artisans and monks were also taken out to build a new cultural, spiritual and religious center. For the same purpose, the king of the Monks himself was captured. He was brought to Bagan in a special position, and was even allowed to build a temple. The temple is interesting because there is a huge Buddha in a small room. Barely fit into the cramped space of the temple.

A certain golden vat stands in front of the temple, apparently for some of its religious purposes. But after three days of full immersion in pagodas and stupas, we were no longer interested in what kind of vat it was.

Immediately after the temple, we turned off the road onto the dirt road and drove over rough terrain in search of the pagoda. We drove for a long time, an hour and a half. Some roads were marked on our map, and some were not. They tried to ask the locals for directions, they say, where is the beautiful pagoda, but since there are a lot of pagodas here, the locals sent them where. But we drove on persistently.

And then something red and gold appeared on the horizon. Coming closer, this red and gold took on the shape of a pagoda. Without a doubt, this is most likely the wonderful pagoda we are looking for. The pagoda was called Dhamma-ya-zi-ka.

Having taken off his shoes before entering the territory, we passed. Inside is naturally a Buddha. Small, modest, but in colors.

We go up the steep, long and very hot stairs. This was my most difficult staircase. The sun was at its zenith and heated the brick so that I jumped in small dashes from shadow to shadow, because only there it was possible to step on the bricks.

But, what opened to our eyes when we got up was worth all the searches and the effort spent. Not conveyed in words.

The pagoda stands far away from all the main temples of Bagan, so the whole of Bagan was revealed to us from it. All temples and stupas seen and visited during these three days. The whole scale of Bagan is visible from here. Wherever the eye reaches, there are pagodas, pagodas, pagodas. There are indeed thousands of them. And it's good that we visited it last, it became, as it were, the result of the whole Bagan.

Bagan is often compared to Angkor in Cambodia. It's hard for me to compare them. They are different. Bagan amazes with its size and the number of temples and pagodas. And Angkor - by its lost in the jungle. And the tourist flow is set at different levels. While getting to Bagan is more difficult.

The pagoda itself is unusual, it is red and gold, we have not seen such in Bagan. The pagoda is decorated with various figures and mythical statues, and squirrels are jumping around. And below, like a carpet, grow raspberry bushes, of which there are a lot in Bagan.

We sat for a long time on top of the pagoda in the shade. We rested and enjoyed Bagan. We are leaving for Ngapali tomorrow. And even if it was not the pagoda that compatriots told us about, then Dhamma-ya-zi-ka is without a doubt the best of the pagodas (not temples) that you just need to visit.

There is another interesting temple in Bagan, which I did not talk about. I don’t know the name, but it’s easy to find it, it is located on the right side of the road right in front of the center of old Bagan, if you go from Nyang U. The temple is very remarkable, you will not pass by. It is decorated with statues of monkeys, elephants and Buddha.

We decided to watch the third sunset in Bagan on the river. We drove towards the Bou Paya pagoda, where there are a lot of cafes. In one of these cafes, after ordering chicken curry, we watched the sunset over the Irrawaddy. Another stage of our great Burmese journey was drawing to a close. And Bagan is his main pearl.

As such, the city of Bagan does not exist. Bagan District includes several small villages, an airport and a huge archaeological area with numerous Buddhist pagodas and stupas. Their number in this area exceeds 5,000.

Bagan, or, as this area is often called here, Pagan was founded in the 9th century AD in the very center of ancient Burma. In 1287 the city was destroyed by the Mongols.

The Bagan Archaeological Zone has preserved unique exhibits of the history of Buddhism.

Climate

Myanmar's famous Bagan District is located in the tropical subequatorial climate zone. The most favorable time to visit this city is from January to May. It is at this time that the dry season lasts in Myanmar. Air humidity in the region is minimal, precipitation practically does not fall. The air temperature at times reaches +40 ° C in the afternoon and almost +27 ° C at night.

From the very first days of June, the rainy season comes to Bagan. The cold season lasts here from October to the last days of December. At this time, precipitation stops, and the average daily air temperature rarely exceeds +27 ° C.

Nature

Bagan is located in the incredibly beautiful valley of the largest river in Myanmar - the Ayeyarwaddy, which played a huge role in the history of the ancient settlement. The nature of the city is rather sparse, most often the local landscape consists of scorched deserts and lonely palm trees. There is not much greenery here.

sights

Bagan County is rich in attractions. Thanks to numerous Buddhist relics, this city has become one of the places of pilgrimage in Southeast Asia.

Bagan's most famous building is Shwezigon pagoda, which hides in itself a copy of the sacred tooth of the Buddha. The place for storing this relic was chosen in a rather interesting way. King Pagana Anuratha placed a copy of the sacred tooth of the Buddha on the back of a white elephant and said that this shrine would be kept in the place where the elephant would kneel. Work on the construction of the Shwezigon Pagoda lasted 7 months and 7 days.

It is generally accepted in Myanmar that every true Burmese must visit Ananda temple... Its walls are covered with life stories of Buddha. Inside the temple, there are four statues of it, each 9.5 meters long. There are also statues of the founder of this building, Anand, in the room. In the western portal of the temple, Buddha's footprints are visible on a pedestal.

There are many pagodas in Bagan, but very few monasteries have survived here. Such buildings were erected mainly from wood, which made them completely short-lived. Only one well-preserved monastery is allowed for visitors - Fell down.

In addition to numerous religious buildings in Bagan, there is a unique Archaeological Museum, which contains a huge collection of artifacts dating back to the Middle Ages.

Nutrition

Bagan's restaurants, which are located in the new and old parts of the city, offer their clients a wide variety of local and other Asian cuisines.

Known for his inimitable puppet shows a restaurantNanda prepares various national delicacies, for example letok sleep, hin, vek-tha etc. Indian cuisine can be appreciated in Aroma Indian... Traditional Western food can enjoy a delicious meal at Eden BBB or Pwint Mar Lar.

The Burmese claim that rice is the master and the people are his servants. In this country, rice is used in almost all dishes, even in desserts.

The most popular drinks in this area are black and green tea, which must be supplemented with milk and hot spices. Some people prefer to drink tea with the addition of condensed milk. Coffee in Bagan is completely unpopular, and its quality here leaves much to be desired.

Accommodation

There are several five-star and simpler hotels in Bagan, as well as many inexpensive guesthouses. Most of them are located in New Bagan. The average price for a decent room in a good hotel will build roughly $ 40.

Compared to guesthouses in the rest of Myanmar, local hotels in this category are much more comfortable and cleaner. The cost of such rooms is the same throughout the country and ranges from $ 10 to $ 15.

Many tourists, visiting Bagan, choose hotels for rest. Bagan Thiripyitsaya Sakura Hotel and The Hotel At Tharabar Gate Bagan.

Entertainment and recreation

Most tourists, being in Bagan, are limited only to a hike to the famous Buddhist shrines. However, you should definitely visit here in Museum of Archeology as well as climb the mystical Mount Popu, to which the locals are so anxious.

For lovers of outdoor activities, Bagan offers the services of its beautiful golf clubNyaung Oo, which is located near the airport. Its magnificent 18-hole course will be highly appreciated by fans of this sport.

It is worth noting that in Bagan, you can purchase a single ticket that allows entry to all temples throughout the day (Local pagodas and monasteries close for visits at about 20:00). The cost of such an entrance ticket is $ 10.

Purchases

Shopping in Bagan is possible near every temple, as well as at the local bazaar. A large number of shops and stalls will offer you a wide range of souvenirs.

Lacquer products are in great demand in this city, which are made in numerous workshops in Bagan. When you visit one of them, you can watch the fascinating process of creating another masterpiece of lacquer dishes.

Transport

The villages that make up Bagan County are only a few kilometers apart. Therefore, you can travel such short distances by bike, which is offered by hotels and even restaurants. The cost of such a rental will cost 1,500 kyats, which is about $ 2. The roads in this area are mostly asphalt, but there are also dirt paths.

Locals prefer to travel in carts drawn by horses or oxen.

A taxi in Bagan costs $ 4. It is best to use this form of transport if you have planned your visit to Bagan for just one day.

This city is connected with other cities by river and air traffic.

Connection

Communication in Bagan, like in other cities in Myanmar, is completely undeveloped. Fortunately, the big hotels are ready to provide you with a telephone line for making international calls. But in such establishments, the cost of these services is very high - about $ 3. There are only a few hotels with internet, and the connection speed is very slow.

Of the local villages, only New Bagan is equipped with long-distance telephone communication, while the rest of the villages are deprived of such a charm of civilization.

Security

Nothing threatens the safety of tourists in Bagan. The military dictatorship that has ruled the state for over 20 years has ensured a low crime rate, both in this city and throughout Myanmar.

You should be extremely careful when you are in crowded places, sometimes pickpockets can work here.

You should also be more careful when choosing food and drinking water from local sources.

When visiting Bagan, you must show special respect for the locals. The city has a large number of Buddhist temples and monasteries, in which one must strictly adhere to the accepted rules of conduct. So, here you can't talk loudly, laugh, take photos and videos. It is worth noting that women are not allowed to enter some structures. Your guide must warn about this.

When planning to fly to amazing Bagan, you must definitely get all the necessary vaccinations.

If someone was going to Myanmar for just a couple of days and asked me for advice on what to see, then I would definitely advise to go to Bagan. It is a valley with 2000+ ancient temples. An amazing place, we spent three days there, got a lot of impressions, took several thousand photos and gigabytes of video.

Marco Polo also called Bagan one of the most magnificent places in the world, and we completely agree with him :)

What is Bagan (Pagan)

Bagan (aka Bagan, in English Bagan, in Burmese ပုဂ) is the capital of the kingdom of the same name, Myanmar, where more than 2,000 Buddhist temples are located (during the heyday of the city there were more than 4,000 of them). In the 11-13th centuries there was a large city (50-200 thousand people), a cultural center of Buddhism, where pilgrims from all over Asia flocked. Monks and students studied here philosophy, law, grammar, astrology, medicine and religion.

Interestingly, UNESCO refused to add Bagan to its heritage list, because the Myanmar government has been actively investing in the restoration of churches since the 1990s, and some of them have been rebuilt differently from what they were in the past.

Small trees grow between the temples, so the valley is clearly visible, and usually at least a dozen others can be seen from one temple.

Our trip to Bagan

We spent 3 days in Bagan and managed to visit all at least something interesting temples, stupas and pagodas, twice went to watch the sunset and once at dawn.

If you are in a hurry, you can allocate two days. But every day we found some new interesting temples with practically no tourists.

Bagan is such a thing, it is for research, and not for skiing along a pre-developed route between points. Somewhere in the bushes there may be a temple with wonderful curlicues and no tourists at all, and on the road you accidentally come across a cafe with delicious food.

Some of the temples are half-ruined small stupas, but there are quite a few beautifully preserved or sensibly restored beautiful pagodas, and what came as a surprise to us, they are quite different!

Here's an architectural reference from the Dorling Kindersley Travel Guide:

First, watch the video, and then there will be a lot of photos and useful information.

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With us, the temples of Bagan left a much stronger impression than the advertised, and in Indonesia or.

I will not rewrite the history of each temple here from the Internet, it is still impossible to remember the Burmese names and names :)

Here are all the necessary points of Bagan on the map. You can move it, zoom in and out, and download points to your smartphone. Not all 2000 pagodas are marked there, but only the best ones :) But if you have time, go for a ride on the rest.

There will be a lot of photos here, because in Bagan not only the appearance of stupas itself is cool and varied, but also many interesting interiors, frescoes, small details. All this is hidden in the carousel: if you like to look at details - scroll through :)

There are also incredible sunrises and sunsets in Bagan.

After the photo there will be useful information: how to get there, what is the best ride in Bagan, where to eat, what souvenirs to buy, etc.

Selected temples and valley views

Sunrises and sunsets over Bagan

In Bagan, beautiful sunsets and sunrises are one of the coolest experiences from a trip here. We liked it so much that we went to the sunset twice - to different stupas.

See for yourself :) There really are such colors: everything is blue at dawn, and orange at sunset.

Sunrises in Bagan:

Sunsets in Bagan:

The best place for sunsets and sunrises is Shwesandaw Phaya (or Shwe San Daw) Pagoda.

Quite steep steps lead to the top.

This is absolutely not a secret place, so the upper platform will look something like this :) During the day it is almost empty.

Life hacks:

1) if you go down the tier below, then the view is no worse, and the crowd is smaller,

2) there are significantly fewer people at dawn than at sunset,

3) it is terribly cold at dawn, dress as warmly as possible and take something to put under your feet (a board, cardboard, newspaper, book, a scarf or towel folded several times, etc.), because they require you to take off your shoes and take off your socks , and the stones are ice!

Frescoes, interiors and details from the temples of Bagan

Many Bagan temples have something to see inside: ancient frescoes have been preserved there. But they are almost not illuminated, you need a flashlight. Who likes this - scroll through the photos in the carousel.

These temples can be endlessly viewed both outside and inside.

Many pagodas also have interesting decorations outside.

People and animals

Boys play football

This monk came on a pilgrimage and lived for a week in one of the less visited temples. Backpackers, take a note: you can spend the night in remote temples, no one drives.

It's cool to sit on the temple in the morning to look at Bagan :)

Gold plates are attached to the Buddha statue (usually only men, women are forbidden to even come close)

We are in Bagan.

Where can we go without cats :)

Humpback cows.

How to get to Bagan

Flights to Bagan

The easiest way to get around Myanmar is by plane. Flights take 30-70 minutes and are full. Previously, it was necessary to book flights through local travel agencies, but now you can easily buy a ticket online.

The nearest airport is called Nyaung-U (IATA code: NYU). Planes fly here from, and other cities of Burma.

Schedule Yangon - Bagan:

How to find cheap flights

To find cheap flights, I usually compare prices using several aggregators. They all have the same principle - they search for tickets on the bases of hundreds of airlines, but their bases may differ, so the price will be better in one or the other - check everything at once.

• - unrealistically flexible search, and there is a guarantee of connection, even if you are flying with low-cost airlines and the first flight is delayed!
• - the best prices for tickets from Russia and Kazakhstan, a convenient calendar of low prices.
• - there are good prices for tickets from Ukraine.

By the way, KIWI gives coupons of 20 euros for air tickets to new users, but they can only be received by email. Who needs it - I can send an invitation.

Low Price Calendar:

You can get from the airport to the city by taxi. If you don't want to mess with airport taxi drivers, order a private transfer with KiwiTaxi or.

The driver will meet you at the airport with a sign at any time and will take you directly to the address: you will not need to wait for public transport or explain yourself in an unfamiliar language with a local taxi driver. Price is final, no bargaining required, no hidden fees for night fares, traffic jams or luggage. Upon request, the car will have a child car seat of the correct size. And there are also luxury cars and minibuses for a large company.

To Bagan by bus or train

The bus or train is cheaper than the flight, but the travel time from other interesting cities in Burma will be from 6 to 10 hours, and according to the reviews of other tourists, these buses and trains are uncomfortable. Prices are 10-20 dollars depending on the place of departure and class of service.

Minibuses get off faster than larger buses.

Trains can also be very late - do not plan any important connections with them.

It doesn't hurt to take some kind of blanket and warm clothes on trains and buses: it's cold at night.

See timetables and ticket prices at. There are also reviews of tourists and ratings of carriers.

The bus station and railway station are located a little on the outskirts, but some carriers include a transfer to the hotel in the ticket price.

Ferry Mandalay - Bagan

The IWT ferry is sailing to Bagan from Mandalay. Other tourists told us about it: the ride is long and boring (9 o'clock in the afternoon), there are no views on the road, it costs $ 50. And the flight lasts only 25 minutes and costs $ 64.

Hotels in Bagan: where to stay

The Bagan Archaeological Zone has three towns: New Bagan, Old Bagan and Nyaung-U, and pagodas and stupas are scattered throughout the valley.

Old Bagan has the largest concentration of pagodas, but housing prices are higher than New Bagan and Nyaung-u.

New Bagan and Nyaung-u have the most cafes and hotels, and housing prices are lower.

Nyaung-u is closest to the airport, but taxi prices are not much different. But there are the fewest temples here.

In fact, it doesn't matter where you live in Bagan, because everything is within 6 km of each other (the whole area is 67 sq km).

Best 4-5 * hotels in Bagan:

How to navigate and navigate between the temples of Bagan

You can buy a paper card in hotels, but it is pretty goofy. It is better to download OsmAnd or Maps.me maps to your smartphone and add points from my map (above in the post). Even more temples are marked on these maps, but those are not so interesting anymore.

Walking on foot in Bagan is real, but far, dusty and hot. If you settle in Old Bagan, then you can visit some of the temples on foot, and for the rest you can rent some kind of transport.

What you can ride in Bagan:

• bicycle - К2000-5000 (they are old and dead there),
• electric scooter - К8000-12000 (the most optimal way to get around Bagan is cheap, easy and cool, environmentally friendly, you can park everywhere),
• horse carriage - К25000 (sooo slow),
• taxi - K35000 (expensive, fast, but not everywhere you go and not so exciting).

Transport rental is everywhere, you do not need to book anything in advance. We rented at our hotel, and did not ask for anything as a deposit. By the way, when we rented bicycles to ride, we also did not take any deposit.

Motorcycles are not leased to foreigners :(

We haven’t seen any car rental either, and they are simply not available on car booking sites. But there is no point in renting a car when a taxi with a driver for a day is already inexpensive compared to other countries.

We rented an electric bike, aka an electric moped :)

It is so small, we can hardly fit on it together!

And slow (we accelerated it to 27 km / h downhill on a good road), but better than pedaling on a bad bike.

And there are roads and such, and cows run along them:

Be careful - there may be deep sand on the primers. We even fell once, but without consequences. Only on the bike did the pedals bent, but bent them back, and drove on :)

Even if the electric moped shows a full charge, it is still better to put it on charge overnight! We had a story when it was discharged 6 km from the hotel. And pedaling on it is very inconvenient (especially for tall people), and pushing too (it's heavy). We decided to try hitchhiking, and literally five minutes later we stopped the pickup, in which there was already a tourist with an electric bike with a broken wheel, and drove 5 km on it. This moped barely reached the hotel for the last kilometer!

Attention! It's better to pay for the bike right away and take a check, or have them write prices on their business card. He wrote us 8000 kyats per day, and then he wanted to take 12000. I showed him his own inscription, and gave him 24000 in three days without change, so he had nothing to do but accept as much money as I gave.

This is what a horse carriage looks like. It is believed to be romantic. We didn't think so :)

If you don't have money for a flight, then you can take cool photos with balloons below :)

Ticket price

Foreigners must pay an entry fee to the archaeological area of ​​Old Bagan of $ 15 or 25,000 kyats. The ticket is valid for 5 days.

For three days, we checked it only once. But without this ticket they are not allowed to go from the airport to the city, so you have to pay.

How to get into Bagan for free? If you are arriving by bus or train, then try to agree with the taxi driver (before getting into the car) that for a small fee he will not stop at the booth where they charge entrance fees to Bagan. Also, do not drive past this ticket office when you ride around the temples. I marked it on the map.

When to go to Bagan: climate and weather

The best time to visit the temples of Bagan is from November to February. During this period, it is not so hot (only up to 30 degrees), and least of all rains. We were there in mid-December. The air is dry, clean and transparent, the sky is blue-blue, the photos are great :) Only at night it is cool - you will need at least a jacket, fleece and pants if you are going to watch the sunrises and sunsets.

And also at this time there are most tourists - you need to book all flights and hotels as early as possible.

Also, when planning your trip, keep in mind that there will be crowds in Bagan between Catholic Christmas and New Years, on Chinese New Year and during the Ananda Pahto religious festival (its dates are different each year).

From March to May, it is hot up to 40 degrees - it will be stressful to ride in an open area in the sun.

From June to October, tropical showers that turn the entire area into a swamp. At this time, everything is very green, but driving in Bagan in the rain is a dubious pleasure. And there will be no such views at once in the entire valley.

Souvenirs: what to bring from Bagan

1. The main souvenir is pictures on fabric, smeared with a mixture of sand and glue. They do not drown in fire and do not burn in water. Each temple claims that this is "a unique technology inherited from the artist's grandfather, and nowhere else in Myanmar and in the world you will see this again," although these pictures are the same in each temple. They masterfully push these pictures, the processing is such that hold on. There is an offer for any excuse how to buy. Instead of training on sales and handling objections, you need to go to Bagan for an internship! :)

2. Also clingy children run around with photo postcards, but only near the most visited temples. Postcards, by the way, are pretty cheap - $ 1 for 10 pcs.

Tourists interact with local young postcard sellers:

- Uncle, buy postcards!

- Boys, do you go to school?

- Of course we go!

- Why not at school?

- We're on vacation!

- What class do you go to? And you, too, in the second? Do you like it? What is your favorite subject? And you? And where are these postcards printed?

(... the boys no longer want to sell postcards and dream of getting away as quickly as possible ...)

3. Dolls on strings

4. Products painted with varnish

5. Local money

6. An interesting idea for bottle openers!

7. Tanakha: This is a special Burmese cosmetics that women put on their faces to stay young. Tanakh is a tree, it is ground into powder on special stone plates, a little water is added and smeared on oneself in the morning and in the evening. Everything is very natural, but it looks scary :)

There is even a Tanakhi Museum not far from the Shwezigon Pagoda.

8. And of course figurines, clothes, dishes, magnets etc. etc.

Some children go and ask for bills from different countries. We read on the Internet that this is some kind of scam, but we did not understand what exactly. For example, if they were given a bill of 5 dollars or 5 euros - this is a lot of money by local standards (but who will give it!), But if you give them only 1 hryvnia or 5 rubles, or 1000 Vietnamese dongs? This is a very small amount that they still cannot exchange anywhere ... Does anyone know what's the catch?

Useful information

1. All Buddhist temples must be entered barefoot (and without socks). Therefore, the best shoes- These are easily removable and washable rubber flip flops. In sneakers or boots, you can unrealistically get stuck with taking them off and putting them on. By the end of the day, our feet are all covered in dust, no wet wipes and no patience is enough to wipe our feet after each church, in the evening we just resigned ourselves to dusty feet, then in the hotel we washed them under the shower along with slippers. In general, there is no such nasty dirt as in Mandalay, rather a lot of natural dust from the soil.

2. clothing... Also, you cannot enter stupas in shorts and T-shirts.

In the day of sunshine: a cap, sunscreen and glasses come in handy. It's cold in the evenings: you need a jacket. and in Thailand.

Tell

How do you like Bagan? Would you like to visit here?

If you have already been here, write what you liked the most? Can you recommend any restaurants or hotels?

In ancient times, the kingdom of Pagan was located on the territory of modern Myanmar. The capital had the same name. The location is a dry plateau on the western bank that stretches along the coastline of the Irivadi River. The plateau is easy to find on the map - it is near the town of Chawk (Magway District), southwest of Mandalay (145 kilometers from it). In 2019, the entire complex is included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.

Today, the city of Pagan is a striking landmark and an archaeological zone that is still being developed, which includes thousands of temples, monasteries, pagodas, stupas.

By the way, Mr. Pagan does not officially exist. There is only a small group of villages - Old Bagan, Myankaba, Ve-ji In and Nyaung. The planes are landing at the local airport Bagan. Thousands of pagodas and stupas of various sizes are scattered around the area. Not only foreign tourists come here, but also a mass of Buddhist pilgrims from all eastern countries.

Of these, the most significant are those that store a unique relic known as the "golden teeth of Buddha" - we are talking about the stupas of Lokananda Chaun and Shwezigon (not to be confused with the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon). For the convenience of tourists, numerous pavilions have been built, paved paths have been laid. As for the vegetation between the temples, it is in some places green thickets, in some places lonely palm trees, in some places - a scorched desert.

Most of the pagodas are built with white stone or red bricks, there is no gold plating. Today, some pagodas are undergoing restoration work, and some are heavily visited by tourists. At the entrances, merchants offer various souvenirs, nosy local children illuminate the corridors for tourists with the help of flashlights, help to get to the upper tiers along the old stairs (of course, not for free).

There was such a case: in one of the pagodas, an attempt by a professor from Germany to steal frescoes from the wall was suppressed. Vigilant police have arrested the attacker, and now at the scene of the failed robbery hangs a plaque with relevant information, recalling the incident.

One of the varieties of local temples are buildings of a symmetrical shape. There are 4 altars in the temples in the direction of all parts of the world. Must have Buddha statues. Another variety is called "gubyauzhi" - temples full of tangled corridors and labyrinths. There are many frescoes on the walls everywhere. The older ones are made in two colors, the earlier ones are pleasing to the eye with many colors.

It is easy for tourists to get lost among the temples without the help of a competent guide. Among the temples there is one where once high-ranking army officials prayed for the fulfillment of their desires. Another temple is no less remarkable - it was built by Manukh, the king of the monks, who was taken prisoner. During the time of captivity, the outstanding leader left behind many statues of Buddha, which are compressed and squeezed from all sides. In this way, Manukh conveyed to his descendants his feelings about captivity.

It should be noted That Binh Yu, from which a beautiful view opens to other temples. The idea of ​​construction belongs to the third king of Pagan, whose name is Alaunsithu. In one of the many niches conceived by his design, the king was killed by his own son while meditating. So the heir took the throne from his father.

The ruins of Pagan are spread over about 40 square kilometers. Archaeologists managed to find out that the lion's share of the structure was built during the period when Pagan was the capital of a kingdom ruled by a dynasty (from the 11th to the 13th century). In general, Burmese history has repeatedly revealed to the world the facts of the transfer of the capital from one city to another. It is believed that Pagan became the cultural center as a result of the actions of King Anoratha (around 1057).

On his initiative, the best artisans and artists, as well as many Buddhist monks, were concentrated in Bagan. With the help of confessors invited from Sri Lanka, the king converted the entire population of the country to Therevada Buddhism, making this teaching the state religion.

At the end of the 13th century (1287), Pagan was captured by the Mongols, who refused to pay tribute to the king. The city was plundered, an innumerable number of religious shrines were stolen, gold and other valuables were stolen from the temples.