Bagan had been on the top of my list for a very long time. Fortunately, I got the chance to visit the wonderful place though only for two days. I squeezed in as many places I could manage, patting myself for visiting 18 temples and pagodas in a day :)
By the time I left, I still wanted another day at least to see some of the ones missed. Maybe, and hopefully next time.
Little history of Bagan:
I am just going to give a little introduction about the history of Bagan. The history is extended over many years so writing in just a few lines is impossible.
Bagan which lies on the east side of Irrawaddy river was ruled by almost 55 kings from 107 A.D. to 1369. The capitals kept on shifting during that time.
The first palace site was in Yun-hlut-Kyun with King Thamudarit in 107 A.D. After that over a period of time, in 846 A.D., the 34th
King Pyinbya who was the great-grandfather of Anawrahta, moved to the present location where it remained for another 200 years. He is also credited to make the Tharabha Gate.
King Anawrahta is considered the founder of Bagan Empire who unified Irrawaddy and its surrounding places.
King Anawrahta embraced Thervada Buddhism and built many temples and stupas to spread the message of buddhism. King Narpatisithu and he built many dams and reservoirs.
King Narpatisithu built the eight pagodas of which Sulamani, Dhammayazika and Gawdawpalin are the most famous. Those built by his son,
King Nadaungmya or popularly known as
Htilominlo built Htilominlo, Mahabodi and completed Gawdawpalin which was started by his father.
By the end of 13th century, 4,474 temples, pagodas were built around Bagan. During King Kyansittha's time, Bagan came to be known as the "city of four million pagodas".
The repeated earthquakes brought a lot of damage to these monuments. Now, only about 2,000 remain. Most of the pagodas and temples prohibit visitors from going up to high level to preserve the monument as much as possible.
After repeated tries of being nominated in 1995, Bagan was officially declared
World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2019.
Four pagodas formed the boundary of Bagan Kingdom inside which the the empire flourished.
The
four pagodas contain a replica of Buddha's tooth relic. All four together are known as
Swe Taw Lay Su.
On the west direction, is
Tantkyitawng stupa across Irrawaddy river
Lawkananda to the south
Tu Yin Tawng that was built on top of a hill in east
Swezigon in the northern edge of city.
Tantkyitaung stupa, the white speck on top of hill across the river on the west direction.
Shwezigon, situated north of the city
Lawkananda to the south
Tu Yin Tawng that is built on top of a hill in east
All these four places contain a tooth replica and it is considered wish fulfilling if one is able to pay homage to all four before noon. Most of pilgrims start the holy visit at 4 AM to be able to finish by 12 PM on the same day.
Difference between a pagoda, stupa and temples:
A
pagoda or stupa has a solid central dome without any entrance as it enshrines a holy relic inside. Devotees circumambulate around it in a clockwise direction. Swezigon, Lawkananda, Tu Yin Tawmg, Swe Lay Su are all pagodas.
A
temple or Pahto have a hall inside with an image of Buddha where a devotee can sit and contemplate. It may have one entrance as in Gawdawpalin or may have entrances on all four directions as in Dhammayangyi or five as in Dhammayazika
Small temples are seen all along the roadside
a small stupa by roadside guarded by chinthe
"Mahabote" or the Burmese astrological calendar:
Almost all temples and pagodas throughout Myanmar have a place for this worship. This is based on worshipping the day on which a person was born.
The days of week are split into 8 days. Wednesday, being the day of birth of Buddha is divided into two: before and after 12 P.M.
Every day of the birth is represented by a planet, cardinal direction and an animal.
Sunday: Sun - North-East - Garuda
Monday: Moon - East - Tiger
Tuesday: Mars - South-East - lion
Wednesday, before 12 P.M. : Mercury - South - elephant with tusks
Wednesday, after 12 P.M. : Mercury - North-West - elephant without tusks
Thursday: Jupiter - West - mouse
Friday: Venus - North - guinea pig
Saturday: Saturn - South-West - dragon
There is a source of water either in a bucket or a faucet near every image. Devotees pour water over the image linked to their day of birth.
in Myazedi
Swezigon Pagoda, should be Thursday with a mouse
in Ananda temple
Souvenirs from Bagan:
There are plenty of things that attract most of the tourists.
a common roadside scene, selling of umbrellas, marionettes
vibrant silk umbrellas
cotton or canvas umbrella
Pathein is a place in Myanmar's delta region. The place produces beautiful umbrellas. It is a common sight to see hotels lobby decorated with these umbrellas.
Sand paintings:
The paintings are reproduction of the murals seen in temples. In 1975, when the earthquake struck Bagan, along with the temples, murals inside were damaged as well. This became a good opportunity for artists to transfer it in a different form.
sand paintings in a temple
a beautiful painting of Buddha
The process is laborious and takes time in making. The paintings may be black and white, or made with colored sands. Both have their own beauty.
The paintings can be seen near any Buddhist site or in a corner of a temple.
a young girl busy making a sand painting, head covered to avoid the sun
Yoke the' , string puppets or marionetts of Bagan
Ylang ylang flowers preserved in water
These bottles are usually seen in front of Buddha images in Bagan. Places around Mount Popa are said to preserve these flowers which have a very long shelf life. The water does not go bad nor do the color of flowers.
lacquerware
Bagan is famous for lacquerware which is more expensive than sand paintings. The costly pieces are painted with real gold.
There is another quality which is painted with acrylic gold and is more affordable. Apart from gold and black, there is rust base with dull green, black and red painting.
Beggar community near Bagan:
On way back from Mount Popa to Bagan, I noticed people of all ages standing by the roadside. They would run towards the car with hands outstretched. On asking, I was told that this community which has thrived for more than three generations survive on asking people for help. They do not have permanent houses to live in nor do they do any work.
Government of Myanmar also gives them subsidies and have tried relocating them but to no avail.
The pictures are a bit fuzzy because they were taken from a moving car.
Palm sugar and toddy bars:
On way back from Bagan to Nay Pyi Daw, there are toddy bars with thatched roofs. The palm sugar sometimes has coconut, ginger which adds to taste.
I add this sugar to my tea for extra flavor.
thatched roof made from palm leaves
Mythological animals mostly seen:
Some animals are very often seen in temples and pagodas.
Chinthes are a normal sight at any temple or pagoda in Myanmar. The body has a single head which resembles a lion, but the hind side has two sections which are joined in the center.
Manusiha, this is not frequently seen.
Manu: human,
Siha: taken from simha, a lion. The body is a combination of human and a lion. Upper body of a human and two lower body joined at the waist.
Information for visitors:
Every visitor to Bagan is charged 25000 Kyat or approximately US$ 17 as a contribution towards maintainence and preservation of monuments.
common sign board outside a temple or pagoda
No shoes or socks are permitted inside the prayer place. One needs to be presently dressed. This feature is common throughout Asia.
Thanakha:
How can one forget to think about thanakha in Myanmar? It is a very common sight to see people with creamish colored paste applied to their cheeks, sometimes forehead and nose. On my first visit to Myanmar, I thought it was sandalwood paste but came to know later it was thanakha. My curiosity made me to find more about it.
The botanical name for the tree from which thanakha is used is Limonia acidissima.
Thanakha as is commonly known there is applied on face. It contains coumarin and marmesin as its active ingredients. Coumarin is anti fungal, anti bacterial, thus is anti acne. Marmesin acts as a sunscreen, and helps in reduction of scars.
a girl at gas station
a child with thanakha applied on face
logs of thanakha
Only the bark is used in the preparation of this paste.
kyauk pyin for sale
The log is rubbed with water against a cemented disc, kyauk pyin, releasing a cream colored paste. This is applied on face.
pieces of thanakha for sale
kyauk pyin, against which the log is rubbed with water
Thanakha paste, powder, and blocks are available in market. Just add a little water, apply and you are ready to venture out.
Bagan is famous for its leaf patterned thanakha on face.
With new beauty products flooding the market these days, the use of thanakha is soon fading. Youngsters do not like to use thanakha. To revive and continue the centuries old tradition, many pagodas have a corner where there is a log of thanakha along with kyauk pyin. Visitors grind and apply the paste. A mirror is placed in front so it becomes easier to see where they are applying.
Mostly, women are seen with thanakha on their face, very few boys or men use it now.
kyauk pyin along with water bottle and a log of thanakha
I am trying to see how to make the paste :)
A place with a rich cultural history, Bagan is one of the places worth visiting.
