According to 800zipcodes, Bagan was founded in the 9th century by the Burmese in central Burma and destroyed by the Mongols in 1287. Bagan is one of the most noteworthy places in Myanmar. In ancient times, there were about 13 thousand places of worship here, and they were built over 200 years. Now on an area of 42 sq. km you can see about 5 thousand perfectly preserved temples, pagodas and stupas. The Taraban gate
leads to the old city of Bagan. Only ruins remained of them, among which are two small temples on both sides of the gate, built in honor of the deities Mahagiri and Shvemyatna. The most famous building in Bagan is the Shwezigon Pagoda.
(Shwezigon). It was erected in 1057 by King Anorahta, the founder of the royal dynasty of Burma. The pagoda is covered in gold and surrounded by many small temples and stupas. The bone and tooth of the Buddha is kept here.
The massive Dhammayangyi temple was built in the second half of the 12th century. Many passages of the temple were littered, so it is impossible to go there. Tatbyinyu temple is the highest in Bagan, its height is 61 m. Inside it is a whole labyrinth of passages. The Ananda Temple (1091) is now one of the best preserved examples of Mon architecture. Temple of Lokananda (Lawkananda) was built in 1059 on the banks of the Irrawaddy River. An exact copy of the Buddha’s tooth is kept here, which was sent by the king of Sri Lanka and today is located in the Shwezigon pagoda.
The Shwesanda Temple was built in 1058 under King Anavrata to house the Buddha’s hair donated by the King of Bago State.
The Manuha temple was built in the middle of the 11th century under the Mon king Manuha, who at that time was imprisoned in Bagan. The temple has three sculptures of a sitting Buddha and one reclining one, which are placed in small rooms, which symbolizes Manuha’s suffering in prison. Shwegugui Temple(Shwegugyi) began to be built in 1131 under King Alaungsitu, and after construction was completed, it was dedicated to Alaungsitu, who was killed by his son in 1163.
The Gubyaukgyi Temple of Myinkaba was built in 1113 by Rajakumar, son of King Kyansitta, at a place called Myinkaba. According to legend, Rajakumara gave birth to a woman named Tambula, who was later proclaimed queen by Kyansitta. He gave her three villages, which were inherited by Rajakumaru. It was on them that Rajakumar built a temple in honor of his father. Under Queen Tambula, a temple of the same name was built, which is considered one of the most beautiful temples in Bagan.. There is another Gubyaukgyi Temple of Wetkyi-in at The Gubyaukgyi Temple. It was built in the middle of the 13th century and has a pyramidal shape. The Payathonzu temple complex consists of three pagodas that were built at the end of the 12th century. One of them was never completed. Htilominlo Temple was built in the 13th century and was named after the king under whom it was built. The brick temple of Shinbinthalyaung contains the largest statue of the reclining Buddha in Bagan, its length is 18 m. Nanpai Temple (Nanpaya) still remains a mystery, because inside it are images of the four-headed Hindu god Brahma, whose presence is not typical for Buddhist temples. Sulamani Temple was built by King Narapatisitu. It consists of two parts – lower and upper, along which corridors with niches for Buddha statues are laid. A staircase leads from the lower floor to the upper one. Mingalazedi Pagoda was built in 1274 and was one of the last built before the Mongol invasion. In Bagan, you can see many pagodas, but there are very few monasteries left, apparently because they were mostly built of wood. The best preserved Upali Monastery (Upali). It was built of brick and named after a famous monk from the early 13th century. In addition to religious buildings in Bagan, the Archaeological Museum with an extensive collection of medieval history is interesting.
60 km southeast of Bagan lies the sacred mountain Popa, which is surrounded by a conservation park. It is a place of worship and pilgrimage for the locals. According to legend, the spirits of nature live on Mount Popa. Spirit statues are presented in the monastery, which stands on the very top of the mountain at an altitude of 1518 m above sea level. The slopes of Mount Popa are covered with dry forests, where such rare monkeys as the smoky lagur live.
