Tour to Bagan discovering thousands of ancient temples and simple local life
October 7 2014
Trip to Bagan in central Myanmar, an ancient city known for hosting some 4,000 temples dating back to times between 9th and 13th centuries AD distributed over a wide valley having an especially picturesque landscape. But Bagan (also known as Pagan) is not only archeology: visiting the local fruit and vegetable market, you can immerse yuorself in the simple life of local people, while you can learn more about arts&crafts touring the family-run business around the city.
The
trip to Bagan starts visiting the local fruit and vegetable market , where local people sells agricultural products of all kinds, many of which are unknown to westerns (or at least unusual), such as parts of bamboo displayed in photo above.
The stalls of fruit and vegetables in
Bagan market, Myanmar.
At the market in Bagan there are numerous stalls selling trunks of some trees, such as Murraya (shrub belonging to the family Rutaceae) and lemon, which sawdust is applied to the face and arms in order to freshen and perfume the skin . The name of this real beauty cream is
Thanaka and in Myanmar is used routinely by most women and occasionally by men.
The assembled object is then "painted" with the waterproof resin mixed with some ash (top left photo), dried for some time in rooms with controlled humidity, before repeating the process for as many as 7 times. The last layer of lacquer may contain a colored pigment, while a subsequent meticulous work of engraving allows to decorate the handicraft as desired. In the upper right photo, the complete process for the production of a glass, starting from the base in bamboo, until obtaining the final product through the various stages of lacquering (the whole process, including the time for drying between a lacquering and the next, lasts up to 6-8 months).
The objects produced with the
technique of Panyun can also be very large and complex, taking many months of work. A chest of drawers like the photo on the right, can cost as much as US$ 2,000.
Another popular
art in Bagan is the
sand painting. A thin layer of glue is uniformly spread on a tissue, before sand is evenly applied. Once dry, the side with sand is painted as desidered.
The
tour to Bagan, continues visiting the beautiful pagoda of Shwezigon, which is actually in Nyaung U, and known to be almost entirely gold-plated.
Photo of Shwezigon Pagoda. The
Pagoda of Shwezigon was built in the 11th century AD and contains some relics of the Buddha (it is believed that the central stupa contains a tooth and a front's bone of the Buddha).
In addition to the central stupa, the complex of
Shwezigon Pagoda, contains several small buildings and temples with the image of the Buddha, where the faithful come to pray.
More photos of the Buddhist monastery of
Shwezigon Paya, with the statues around the stupa and the faithful who offers flowers.
Still other images of
Shwezigon Paya in Bagan, with its large central stupa (top right) and the buildings that surround it.
Picture of Shwezigon Paya.
Bagan is best known for hosting, within a broad valley, about 4000 temples built between the 9th and 13th centuries AD, of which about 2200 are still in excellent conditions. A sign warns visitors, especially tourists, to dress respectfully ("No Spaghetti Blouse") and to walk barefoot only (no shoes, no socks) when walking in or around the temple. In this regard, during a tour in Bagan (as in other cities of Myanmar) it is advisable to bring a pair of light sandals, thereby making it easier and faster to get in and out of temples.
Many
temples of Bagan are accessible to the public and is allowed to climb up to the upper terraces, usually through steep steps. Access is strictly barefoot, therefore is best to avoid visiting during the hottest hours of the day, unless it is cloudy.
The view from the top repays the effort to climb the stairs barefoot, as anywhere, in any direction, there are
hundreds of temples of varying heights, that come out picturesquely from the vegetation.
The temples that can be visited during a trip to Bagan are numerous, but having only one day, I focus on better-known ones. This photo is from
Htilominlo temple, a 46 meters high structure dated back to the 13th century AD.
Photo of Htilominlo Temple. The Htilominlo Temple in Bagan has a courtyard through which huge Buddha statues are visible at each cardinal point.
The statues and bas-reliefs on the exterior façade of the
Temple of Htilominlo.
Pictures of Bagan. The tour continues in Bagan along one of the streets leading to the temples scattered throughout the valley. Some temples are tilted due to an earthquake of magnitude 6.5 occurred in 1975.
A
temple in Bagan, Myanmar.
I then visit the
Ananda temple, characterized by a very special and rather unique architecture among the other temples of Bagan. The temple of Ananda has a cross plan, while the upper domes are laminated in real gold.
The corridors in the
temple of Anada leading to the shrine have hundreds of niches in the walls, contain a statue of Buddha each. It is believed that this architectural feature serves to break up the echo, making the environment more quiet even when attended by many faithful.
Photos of
Ananda temple in Bagan taken with a fisheye, wide view showing the corridors and walls.
The corridors Ananda temple lead to four Buddha statues arranged according to the cardinal points. This is the picture, the statue of
Gautama Buddha oriented to the east.
Photos of Bagan. The tour in Bagan ends at sunset, climbing over a temple to have a view from top in dusk lighting.