Kyanzittha Umin
A cave temple in a plot just southwest of the Shwezigon Pagoda, Kyanzittha Umin was originally part of a small mon- astery. The cave’s exterior was encased in a brick facade, while inside it was excavated to create corridors whose walls and ceilings were decorated with murals, many of which survive intact. Although named after […]
Nyaung U
Bagan’s central market area lines the main street of Nyaung U village. Most visitors who travel up here do so to eat in one of the many restaurants flanking Thiripyitsaya 4 Street. Many also stop off at the quirky Thanaka Museum, which has displays showing how thanaka, the quintes sen tially Burmese face paste, is […]
Gubyauknge and Gubyaukgyi
East of Htilominlo, the 11thcentury Gubyauknge, one of Bagan’s oldest temples, retains some fine original stuc- cowork on its exterior. A pair of nats, or nature spirits, flank the door way to the main shrine, reflecting the syncretic nature of Buddhism in the medieval city. Gubyaukgyi, a stone’s throw northeast, is a 13thcentury building with […]
Shwe Leik Too
The 13thcentury Shwe Leik Too is a midsized temple in late- Bamar style with four projecting porticos and a corncob tower, enclosed by a low perimeter wall. The temple is of interest primarily because it is among only a handful of monuments in Bagan which the government still allows visitors to climb. A lowroofed passageway […]
Htilominlo
One of the greatest of all Bagan’s temples, Htilominlo dominates the northern group of monuments and is the very antithesis of the nearby Upali Thein: a soaring, triumphant building whose tapering central spire reaches 150 ft (46 m) into the sky. King Nantaungmya (r. 1211–34), son of a con cubine and therefore several notches down […]
Upali Thein
This diminutive ordination hall dating from the 13th century forms part of a larger monastic com plex whose wooden por- tions have long since disap- peared. It is noteworthy for the way its exterior mimics the design and decor of the now lost wood structures, and for the frescoes inside. Painted during the Konbaung era, […]
Sin Myar Shin
One of a trio of shrines standing in a neat row just south of the main road, this doublestory temple is capped by a richly gilded corncob spire. Two Buddha images preside over the main hall on the first floor, while four Buddhas facing the cardinal points sit in the upper chamber. Traces of original […]
Ananda Oak Kyaung
In ancient PaliSanskrit, “oak” means “brick,” and this small vihara (chapel or sanctuary) is one of only a few brick monas- teries surviving from the early Bagan period. The building is best known for the excep- tionally wellpreserved frescoes that cloak its interior walls and ceilings. Rendered in earthy reds, greens, blacks, and browns, these […]
Ananda Temple
Surmounted by a classically proportioned corncob tower, the whitewashed Ananda Temple is among the most stylistically refined and impressive temples in Bagan. It is also the most revered by Burmese Buddhists. Its grand entranceways lead to four beautiful gilded Buddhas standing in huge recesses, inter- connected by corridors that are adorned with wonderful stone sculpture […]
Old Bagan
The area of sandy scrub beside the bend in the river, known as Old Bagan, formed the hub of the medieval city. Traces of the fortified walls and gateways that once encircled it on the landward side are still visible in many places, but it is the great concentration of temples and stupas dating from […]