When I read in the Economist that Myanmar was opening up and making it easier to travel and get visas I knew where I would be heading. I first learned of Bagan when I was doing my Thai history lessons and in the course a little picture of the plain filled with thousands of stupas and temples filled the open plain. Now the problem became getting the time off to make the trip, and still see everything before the flood of tourist got wind of the wonders of Bagan, much like what had happened to Cambodia’s Angkor Wat. The sites are just as impressive and many are easily accessible without the fear of landmines going off when trying to get the best angle for the pictures home.
Bagan was the capital of the 9th century Burmese empire, founded by King Anawratha, who unified the separate Burmese principalities under Theravada Buddhism. In the 300 years as the center of the empire well over 13,000 pagodas and temples where build around the once square shaped palace walls of the old Bagan city. About a full half of the once grand palace walls have been washed away by the mighty Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady in Burmese), and a museum that earned a big “nope’ on the to do list has taken its place. This is because the foreigner price quoted to me was exceedingly out of line.
On this trip, I did the unthinkable, only because I was traveling with someone who wasn’t as much of a traveler but also wanted to experience a place that would see irrecoverable change due to an influx of cheap holiday travelers and backpacker hostels. Not that they are bad, but it changes the character, sometimes for the better, often not, thinking back to Cambodia and Sihanoukville. We flew in to Nyaung U Airport, and were greeted by second hand buses from Korea, from the old faded window stickers it looks like they once serviced on the the lines running up to Kimpo airport in Seoul. The airport was a simple affair, nothing that was spectacular to greet visitors and was fairly well maintained. The air was heavy, as it has recently rained which was fortunate as I had feared the dryness of the passing summer might have greeted us with an acrid but familiar smell of the country. We traveled down to the hotel by rented mini van to the Tharabar Gate Hotel. The mini van and driver were rented for the three days we intended to stay in Bagan. And so the adventure began. One special note here, the roads are meant for right hand traffic, like cars for the roads for much of the world, and unusual for a former British colony, yet the vehicles which dominate the roads are second hand Japanese cars, with their left handed traffic configuration remaining, this includes many of the city buses and mini vans.
The first stupa we stopped at was the Shwezigon pagoda. Built in the 10th to 11th centuries and gilded in gold, was started by King Anawratha but completed in the reign of his son. the influence on later pagodas in the Bagan plain. While the gold gilding demands a lot of attention, it overshadows the exquisite wooden paneling along the square base. There are a number of entry ways and pavilions at the four cardinal points, also gilded in gold. Outside of the pagoda complex are a number of nearby trinket shops. Much of these were avoided, however it is advisable to pick up some of the excellent lacquer ware, which is what I did. I imagine that the price will have shot up by now but I felt I had made out like a bandit.
Next notable temple we visited was the Htilominlo Temple. Htilominlo is known for its vaulted halls and many niches where little gilded Buddhas sit in various meditation poses. The walls are also decorated into the  stucco are images of the Buddha. Outside of the temple are many well preserved stucco  friezes and in areas where the stucco has fallen off the red brickwork is exposed. It is surprising to learn that these many temples are all built of brick, and have survived earthquakes, war,  and the British. The temple cloisters have a large Buddha in each of the four cardinal direction, and have some touch up work on-going at the time of the visit. Outside the main temple but still within the compound walls are vendor stalls with shirts and other tourist trinkets. I was happy to see some older coins on offer at one stall, that was where my resolve to resist spending broke down. There were several other stops as well, mostly small unnamed ruins and nondescript stupas built by the early nobility and those with the means to have a pagoda built in penance for their earthly misdeeds. I recall from Orwell’s Burmese Days that the antagonist always justified in his misdeeds with the knowledge that he would have several pagodas built to erase his passed transgressions.
Burmese food, up country style. We stopped at a few local eateries, once that obviously paid the guide a commission for all the foreigners brought to them. As it turns out, this is fairly common practice and as long as the food wasn’t miserable I would be fine. Being a seasoned traveler I ate light as I knew I would be crawling over ruins, exploring old palace walls and would be dealing with the heat of the day, Which was starting to bring out the parched cow dung smell. We had passed by several along the way, and they seemed to wander among the ruins with ease, and no restraint. At this stop I had a Burmese Curry, which I felt that being nestled between two of the worlds most popular curry nations, India and Thailand that I was in for a treat. I wasn’t, and was bitterly disappointed in my mild, greasy dish before me. I ate it all but vowed to sample other dishes. Later that day I had an opportunity to step into the village and seek out the local food. With the broken Burmese I had studied for the trip I ordered a Burmese Thali Mixed Platter and a Mandalay Beer. The beer was a lot better than I expected, but the food is universally greasy and light in flavor. It isn’t blended with the rich creamy tastes like in Thailand and the tangy sweet sauces of India. I learned later that this is the case in much of the country. I did stick to eating local food though, as I could always have the food I was used to when I returned home. This is why I don’t have any recommendations for where to eat in my post, I am not a food connoisseur, but I do have a knack for complaining.
Ananda Temple was our first stop for the next day. The white washed walls and gilded golden spire were within walking distance of our hotel. The Ananda temple was completed in 1091, in the reign of King Kyansitha. It is often regarded as the finest temple in all of Bagan. The width of this temple is 290 feet in length, and 172 feet in height, topped with a diamond orb. Lions adorn the base and from a distance the temple takes on the shaped of a stepped pyramid. Inside the temple, the doubled corridors and the high vaulted halls of this enclosed temple are surprisingly fairly well lit. Like most of the enclosed temples there are four Buddhas, and it the Ananda temple a standing Buddha standing 9.5 meters in height is enshrined in each of the four cardinal directions. Each wall has a number of niches with either gilded stone decorations or of the Buddha in meditation depicting the life of the Buddha. The walls are all stucco but without the decorative flourish of some of the other temples. I spent a lot of time here, and it was handy to have our guide along to explain some of the more notable features. This was the only pagoda to have a double corridor all the way around, and the only one to have light penetrating from openings far above, illuminating each of the standing Buddhas. The devotional halls before each of the Buddhas have many niches for a total of 1000 in total I was told. In the covered entry ways leading to the temple are many vendors selling books, trinkets, and lacquer ware goods, which is where I loaded up on some very nice pieces and souvenirs as gifts.
The next stop of the day was a number of temples and stupas to the south before working our way back up for the day for a siesta as the noon time head began to beat down on us. But before turning in for the siesta we stopped at the Sulamani temple. The Sulamani Temple was built by King Narapatisithu who reigned over Bagan in 1174-1211. The temple’s construction was a departure from the style favored at the time, which favored a balanced horizontal step form. The stucco friezes are well preserved, those some are in dire need of restoration. The form of the temple resembles Htilominlo Temple and is also enclosed by perimeter walls. The entrances are decorated with glazed terracotta plaques which also adorn the terraces. The enshrined Buddha statues are all in a seated meditation position set on pedestals. The one to the East is set in a deep recess, the reason was never explained however the Buddha that is often different from the others is often positioned in the East. Regrettably the upper terraces were closed off and locked up, though at a nearby temple we were able to bribe an attendant to unlock the gates restricting our access. Sadly there wasn’t anyone on hand who would be persuaded to unlock the gates for us here.
After the Siesta we visited several clusters of temples, some named, others not. Getting into the evening we were driven to the Shwesandaw Pagoda to view the sunset. Shwesandaw Pagoda was built after the conquest of the Kingdom of Mon to the South near the Irrawaddy delta. The pagoda houses the first relic of the Buddha in Bagan, hence its name ‘hair relic’ pagoda. The base is made up of 5 terraces topped with a bell shaped dome topped with a multi tiered umbrella. From the upper most terrace, the view of the plain below was well worth the climb. I had arrived a little early so had many unspoiled views. As the time for the sun to set drew nearer, buses dropping off tourist for the sunset began to unload. Much like the frenzied crowds at Phnom Bakheng in Siem Reap Cambodia, struggling to get a view of Angkor Wat in the sunrise, only here there was no set focus, just a plain strewn with the ruins of thousands of stupas and temples. With the sun setting in the east, the best light was towards the North, so my focus was the Ananda  and Htilominlo, but the panoramas were stunning.
The last day we settled on to the idea to travel on the Irrawaddy to see some nearby temples and to enjoy the coolness of the river. The excursion started out a little late as i was exploring the ruins of the old Bagan palace walls, sturdy brick structures and the once flat ground gave way to the water table and resulted in portions of the wall to bend out of place or collapse. The entire western side of the palace fortifications were long ago washed away by the river. The end destination was Kyauk Gu U Min a temple set into the sandstone cliffs along the river and clad in a brick structure. Â The journey along the Irrawaddy was pleasant enough, barges with what was possibly illicitly cut teak, the hulks of wooden river barges and the village folk bathing and playing the the churning waters. The water was a muddy brown in color, and felt cool and fresh. The return journey we were treated to the sun setting along the river which had its own nice views, and silhouettes of the stupas along the cliffs as we worked our way back south.
Kyauk Gu U Min is laid out facing north and was built around a massive stone Buddha set into the face of the cliff and covered by the stone. passageways were built behind the statue including some cloistered areas which work there way back along the eastern side of the temple before opening to stairs leading to the upper terraces. The ruins aren’t as impressive as the others in the Bagan plain, but worth the visit to change the scene. Our guide was generous enough to let us hold some relics placed in the sanctum of the base of the image. The detail on the images was exquisite and well executed. the piece was made from the clay of the Irrawaddy and had some weight to it.
I know I will be back, there was so much to see in Bagan, and even in three days, there was no way but to only scratch the surface.
Lost in Linklandiya 
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