Bagan Part 1–Myanmar

My favourite place in Myanmar.  Our hotel was done in the traditional Bagan style, made of thin bamboo.  And the pool, which was lovely in the afternoons!  Lovely place to relax for a while!

         

Warning…..Nicki’s history lesson……

Bagan formerly Pagan is an ancient city located in Myanmar.   From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Kingdom of Pagan, the first kingdom to unify the regions of now modern Myanmar. During the kingdom's height between the 11th and 13th centuries, over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed (approximately 1000 stupas, 10,000 small temples and 3000 monasteries) in the Bagan plains, of which the remains of over 2200 temples and pagodas still survive.

According to the Burmese chronicles, Bagan was founded in the second century AD, and fortified in 849 AD.  From 1044 to 1287, Bagan was the capital as well as the political, economic and cultural nerve center of the Pagan Empire. Over the course of 250 years, Bagan's rulers and their wealthy subjects constructed over 10,000 religious monuments in an area of 104 square kilometres (40 sq mi) in the Bagan plains. The prosperous city grew in size, specializing in Pali scholarship in grammar and philosophical-psychological studies as well as works in a variety of languages on prosody, phonology, grammar, astrology, alchemy, medicine, and legal studies.  The city attracted monks and students from as far as India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) as well as the Khmer Empire.

The Pagan Empire collapsed in 1287 due to repeated Mongol invasions (1277–1301). The city, once home to some 50,000 to 200,000 people, had been reduced to a small town. The city formally ceased to be the capital of Burma in December 1297.  Bagan survived into the 15th century as a settlement, and a pilgrimage destination.  New temple constructions slowed to a trickle with less than 200 temples built between the 15th and 20th centuries

Bagan, located in an active earthquake zone, had suffered from many earthquakes over the ages, with over 400 recorded earthquakes between 1904 and 1975.  The last major earthquake came on 8 July 1975, the quake damaged many temples.  Today, 2229 temples and pagodas remain.

Now what we saw……

Thiripyitsayar (New Bagan) was the second capital (and palace) site of Myanmar (right outside our hotel) King’s ruled from this site from 4th AD.

         

That night we went for another Lonely Planet walk to a restaurant that no longer exists!  But we found Lawkananda Phayar on the way, and some stunning night views!  Lawkananda pagoda was built by King Anawrahta during his reign in 1059. The Buddha's tooth relic is enshrined in it, which was brought from Sri Lanka. It is on the bank of the Ayeyarwaddy River.

Hamsa, special bird especially to Buddhist faith

Can you see the Hamsa in the cloud on hill on left, on right is golden pagoda

                                  

Seinnyet Nyima and Seinnyet Ama Paya meaning "The Seinnyet Sisters Pagoda". Nyima meaning younger sister and Ama meaning elder sister. They are two pagodas standing side by side, donated by two sisters of the Bagan monarch. Also know as the "two sisters" temples, they were constructed by two Seinnyet Queen sisters during the 11th century.

                             

Soc Min Gyi Pagoda and Monastery Named after the lady who supposedly sponsored its construction, thought to have been completed in 1204. "So-min" is a title for a senior queen or princess of the Bagan Period, so the monastery and the stupa were probably donated by a lady of high rank.  A staircase in the southeastern corner leads to the roof which was made of wood and was flat. Most brick monasteries in Bagan were single block structures (although most were wood, this is one of the few brick monastery’s). Soemingyi is unique in that it features monastic cells clustered around a courtyard

                                                     

Mya Zedi Pagoda was built by Prince Raja Kumar, son of King Kyansitthar, in the memory of his queen mother. Prince Raja Kumar was the son of King Kyatsitthar, who had a lawful right to be the successor king. But the father King Kyansitthar didn't know he had a son, until after he had crowned his grandson (his daughter's son). He lived his whole life as just as a prince. When Prince Raja Kumar's mother, the former queen, died, he donated all his mother's jewellery and 4 villages to Buddha by building Mya Zedi pagoda. He engraved a stone inscription near the pagoda and is well-known among most locals. It was engraved in 4 languages, Myanmar, Mon, Pali, and Pyu on 4 sides of a stone in 1113, and is the oldest surviving stone inscription of the Burmese.  It tells the story of Prince Raja Kumar and King Kyansittha and how he felt about the succession, but the importance of the inscription is that it meant the deciphering of the written Pyu language.

I saw the stone and inscription, but the local was uncomfortable with me taking a photo.  It was a four sided big block of stone in 4 languages, and it establishes the Pyu as an important cultural influence in early Bagan and relates the chronology of the Bagan kings. (We saw the only other one in existence later at the Archeological museum).

              

Minga Lap Ze Di  or  Mingalazedi (‘Auspicious Pagoda’) was built by Narathihapati, also known as Tarokepyaymin, 'the king who ran away from the Chinese', and was completed in 1284, just three years before Kublai Khan's invasion. As such it was the last major pagoda built in Bagan. It is noted for the glazed terracotta tiles around its terraced bases. These are apparently much prized by art thieves, which is why the pagoda is enmeshed in chicken wire. 
According to the chronicles, Narathihapate started building the Mingalazedi in 1268, but before it could be finished a prophecy arose. “The pagoda is finished, the kingdom is destroyed!”. The royal soothsayers interpreted this to mean that Bagan would be destroyed when the Mingalazedi was finished, and, Narathihapate, much afraid, stopped work on the pagoda altogether.  After a lapse of six years, the Venerable Panthagu came to Narathihapate and reproached him:
“O King! You have not observed the meditation on Impermanence. You build a work of merit, yet you would not finish it for fear that the country will be ruined. Will this country and its king endure forever and never die?”
Narathihapate, chastened, started work on the pagoda again and finished it,  not much later he fled from Bagan in the face of a Mongol invasion.

I walked around about half way up the pagoda and saw the beautiful glazed tiles, Andre continued up to the top and got the most amazing view!  (And i got caught by yet another sand painter!)

                                                                           

Video of Andre and the view from top of temple looking at Bagan   

That Byin Nyu meaning "Omniscience" was built in 1144 A.D by King Alaungsithu, the grandson of Kyansittha. This is the tallest temples of all monuments in Bagan; 61m high.

The temple is a four-storeyed building with four corridors and seven terraces attached. The top terrace is the best place to see the best view of Bagan, which Andre climbed. The architecture of the temple signifies the finest of Myanmar culture. ‘The corners are amazingly straight and the two tiers of windows perfectly admit light and air.’ (guidebook) 

                                

Bagan Archaeological Museum was amazing.  Really interesting but were not allowed to take photos.  There were whole rooms dedicated to just Buddha images, from all time periods.  On the main floor was some amazing bronze statues of various Kings, the detail was incredible especially for the era it was done in.  All the art work, everything was really well done, just wish we could have taken some photos!

    

That night we watched a traditional puppet show, the puppet master even got me to have a go wish you can see in the video....