Bagan

Ananda temple is considered to be one of the most surviving masterpiece of the Mon architecture. Also known as the finest, largest, best preserved and most revered of the Bagan temples. During the 1975 earthquake, Ananda suffered considerable damage but has been totally restored.

Bagan is an ancient city located in the Mandalay Region of Burma (Myanmar). From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Kingdom of Pagan, the first kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern Myanmar. During the kingdom's height between the 11th and 13th centuries, over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed in the Bagan plains alone, of which the remains of over 2200 temples and pagodas still survive to the present day.

Dhammayangyi Temple is the most massive structure in Bagan which has a similar architectural plan to Ananda Temple. It was built by King Narathu (1167-70), who was also known as Kalagya Min, the 'king killed by Indians'. The temple is located about a kilometer to the southeast of the city walls directing Minnanthu.

Close to Wetkyi-in village, this 13th-century 'cave temple' has an Indian-style spire like the Mahabodhi Pagoda in Bagan. It is interesting for the fine frescoes of scenes from the jatakas.

Situated close to the road between Nyaung U and Bagan, and about 1.5 km northeast of Bagan. This large temple was built by King Nantaungmya in 1218. The temple is known to be the last Myanmar Style temple built in Bagan. The name is a misreading of the Pali word for 'Blessings of the Three Worlds'. King Nantaungmya erected the temple on this spot because it was here that he was chosen, from among five brothers, to be the crown prince. Nantaungmya was King Narapati Sithu's son. The selection of the heir to the throne had a tradition, which was to erect a white umbrella and the future ruler would be chosen when the white umbrella tilts in his position. After the event, it was decided by the state policy's council.

Kyanzittha Umin means "the cave of Kyanzittha". This cave is a lowe, unpretentious brick structure with long dark corridors. Located only a short distance west of Nyaung U village is the Kyanzittha Umin. This place is served as a temple for a place of lodging the monks. Although officially credited to Kyanzittha, this cave temple may actually date back to Anawrahta. Built into a cliff face close to the Shwezigon, the long, dimly lit corridors are decorated with frescoes, some of which are thought to have been painted by Bagan's Tartar invaders during the period of the Mongol occupation after 1287. The frescoes are dated back to the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries. There are four entrances into the cave. The building is about 29 feet high from the ground to the ceiling. The length of the cave is about 77 feet.

The Leimyethna temple, the "Temple of the Four Faces", is a beautiful example of a single-storeyed temple built in the Late Style.

Maha Zedi Temple has a series of receding terraces, surmounted by a cylindrical or bell-shaped dome which continues into a finial of concentric rings.

The name "Manuha" was given after the Mon king from Thaton who was held captive in Bagan by King Anawrahta. Legend says that Manuha was allowed to build this temple in 1059, and that he constructed it to represent his displeasure at captivity. The exterior and overall floor plan resemble the more remote Kyauk Gu Ohnmin, a rectangular box topped by a smaller rectangle. Inside three seated Buddhas face the front of the building, and in the back there's a huge reclining Parinibbana Buddha. All seem too large for their enclosures, and their cramped, uncomfortable positions are said to represent the stress and lack of comfort the 'captive king' had to endure. However, these features are not unique in Bagan.It is said that only the reclining Buddha, in the act of entering nibbana, has a smile on its face, showing that for Manuha only death was a release from his suffering.

Next to the Gubyaukgyi stands the gilded Myazedi or 'Emerald Stupa'. A four-sided pillar in a cage between the two monuments bears an inscription consecrating Gubyaukgyi and written in four languages - Pyu, Mon, Old Burmese and Pali. Its linguistic and historical significance is great since it establishes the Pyu as an important cultural influence in early Bagan and relates the chronology of the Bagan kings. The inscription was about the Prince Rajakumar's feelings towards his father and the choice of the heir to the throne

Close behind the Manuha Pagoda, there is a shrine mostly known as "Nanpaya". It is said to have been used as Manuha's prison although there is little evidence supporting the legend.

Nathlaung Kyaung means 'Shrine Confining Nats or Spirits', a reference to a purported time when King Anawratha tried to banish Nat worship in Bagan. He is said to have confiscated all non-Buddhist religious images including indigenous Myanmar nats and Hindu devas. Then he ordered to have placed them in this shrine as part of an effort to establish 'pure' Theravada Buddhism during his reign. The king eventually gave in to the cult and standardized the current roster of principal Burmese Nats by placing 37 chosen images at Shwezigon Pagoda.

Near the Thatbyinnyu pagoda and near the Nathlaung Kyaung, there lies a 10th-century pagoda which features the bulbous shape favored by the Pyus. North of this pagoda is the Pahtotharmya temple. These cylindrical types of pagodas were found in the Sri Keshtra era.

It is a pagoda of an unusual type. The three receding square terraces and the bell-shaped dome do not differ much from those of other pagodas.

Said to have been built by Seinnyet Queen in the 11th century A.D. but the design appears to belong to the later Burmese style of 13th century.

King Anawrahta built Shwesandaw Pagoda after his conquest of Thaton in 1057. This graceful circular pagoda was constructed at the centre of his newly empowered kingdom. The pagoda was also known as Ganesh or Mahapeine after the elephant-headed Hindu god whose images once stood at the corners of the five successive terraces.
The five terraces once bore terracotta plaques showing scenes from the jalakas, but traces of these, and of other sculptures, were covered by lather heavy-handed renovations.

Shwezigon was built as the most important reliquary shrine in Bagan, a centre of prayer and reflection for the new Theravada faith King Anawarahta had established in Bagan.
The pagoda is standing between the village of Wetkyi-in and Nyaung U. It is a beautiful pagoda and was commenced by King Anawrahta but not completed until the reign of King Kyanzittha (1084-1113). King Kyanzittha was thought to have built his palace nearby.

This six meter-high stone image of the Buddha was built in 1284, just before the Mongol invasion. The image was built by the tuff from Mount Popa. It was in poor condition even before the earthquake.
THE HUGE STONE IMAGE INSIDE THE TEMPLE

Towering above the other monuments of Bagan, the magnificence in white which is the Thatbyinnyu takes its name from the Omniscience of the Buddha. Thatbyinnyutanyan in Myanmar language, Sabbannutanana in Pali, omniscience is given further explanation in contemporary inscriptions as "knowing thoroughly and seeing widely."