Exploring temples in Bagan
Hello readers!
I took the overnight bus to Bagan for a weekend of exploring ancient Buddhist temples. Bagan is located along the Ayeryarwady River in Central Myanmar and there are around 4,000 Buddhist stupas and temples scattered across the plains dating from the 11th-13th centuries.
View from my room
I chose a great weekend to go because the rainy season was in full swing so I pretty much had the place to myself. I rented an e-bike (which I had incorrectly assumed was an electric bicycle- it’s actually a motorcycle/scooter) and set off from my hotel for a day of exploring. I was staying in New Bagan- which is the more recently developed area with some restaurants and hotels. About 20 mins up the road you will find Old Bagan, which is a more historical area (and an old walled city) and then to the east of Old Bagan and back down to New Bagan are the plains- which are just miles of empty plains with 1000’s of temples- some in clusters, some hidden off dirt paths.
There is so much to see in Bagan that it can be a little overwhelming- after an hour of attempting to follow my map to specific sites, I ditched the map and just took my scooter off roading, hopping off to explore various ruins. Of course, being the rainy season, the sky opened up at various points and I had to run for cover, definitely crashing in the mud at one point (more of just a slide off the bike!) but it was incredible. There were so many temples, and they were so incredibly beautiful and humbling, that it’s hard to choose what pictures to share, so here is a sampling:
Almost all of the temples are Buddhist, but I happened to wander into the one temple that is Hindu. This temple, like some others, has a ‘temple minder’ who cares for the temple and will show visitors around. The guide explained the meanings of the carvings (there was Shiva, among others), and the history of the “nats” in Myanmar culture (worshipped spirits).
Source and for more information: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1588/
-KLP