Bagan

Bagan is an ancient city in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar. It was once the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, the first kingdom to unify parts of Myanmar. From the 9th to the 13th centuries, Bagan was a very important place.

During its peak, people built more than 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas, and monasteries. Even though many were lost over time, more than 2,200 of these buildings still remain today.

Bagan is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a popular place for visitors to Myanmar. The Bagan Archaeological Zone is one of the main attractions for tourism in the country.

Etymology

Bagan is the name we use today for the ancient city. In old Burmese, it was called Pugan or Pukam. In the ancient language Pali, it was named Arimaddanapura, which means "the City that Tramples on Enemies." Other old names describe its dry climate, like Tattadesa, meaning "parched land," and Tampadīpa, meaning "bronzed country." Old stories from Burma also mention names such as Thiri Pyissaya and Tampawaddy.

History

9th to 13th centuries

Main articles: Early Pagan kingdom and Pagan kingdom

Bagan started around the second century CE and grew important in the 9th century. From 1044 to 1287, it was the capital of the Bagan Empire. During this time, many religious buildings were built, such as temples, stupas, and monasteries.

Bagan was a busy city with many kinds of learning, like languages, medicine, and stars. People from far away came to study and share ideas. Builders, artists, and workers kept the city lively.

The Bagan Empire ended in 1287 after attacks, but the damage was not very big. Bagan never became as important again.

14th to 19th centuries

Bagan stayed a place for visitors and some new buildings were made, but not as many as before. Many older buildings fell apart over time.

20th century to present

Bagan has had many earthquakes. A big one in 1975 hurt many buildings. In 2016, another earthquake caused damage to nearly 400 temples. Restorations began with help from UNESCO. Bagan became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. Today, Bagan is a popular place for tourists to visit.

Geography

The Bagan Archaeological Zone is a large area that measures 13 kilometers by 8 kilometers. It is centered around Old Bagan and includes Nyaung U in the north and New Bagan in the south. This zone is in the flat lands of Upper Burma, near the bend of the Irrawaddy river. It is about 290 kilometers southwest of Mandalay and 700 kilometers north of Yangon.

Climate

Bagan is located in the middle of the Dry Zone, which stretches between Shwebo in the north and Pyay in the south. Unlike the coastal areas that get a lot of rain from monsoons, the Dry Zone gets very little rain because mountains block the rain clouds.

Cityscape

Panoramas of Bagan show temples and the Irrawaddy River in the background.

Architecture

Bagan is famous for its many temples and pagodas, showing the skill of ancient Myanmar craftsmen. The temples in Bagan are mainly of two types: solid stupa-style temples and hollow gu-style temples.

Stupas

A stupa, also called a pagoda, is a large structure that often contains special Buddhist items. The stupas in Bagan developed from designs in India and Ceylon. Over time, they changed from a round shape to a bell-shaped form with smaller rings on top.

Hollow temples

Unlike stupas, hollow gu-style temples were used for meditation and worship. These temples have either one main entrance or four main entrances. They feature pointed arches and vaulted chambers.

Innovations

Bagan introduced new ways of building, such as vaulting in temples. The stonework of these buildings was very well done, and many survived an earthquake in 1975.

Notable cultural sites

The walled core of "Old Bagan"

The main part of Old Bagan is 140 hectares and has three walls along the river. There may have been a fourth wall on the west, but the river washed it away. The river has also worn away parts of the city, and some buildings near the river are falling into the water.

Old Bagan is smaller than areas with other important buildings, covering only a small part of the much larger 8,000-hectare region. This shows that Old Bagan was a special area for important people, not the whole city.

Outlying sites

Otein Taung

Otein Taung is an important site 2 km south of the Ananda temple in Old Bagan. Its name means "pottery hill". The area has two mounds covered with broken pottery pieces. Around these mounds are about 40 small monuments from the 13th century. Some are near a monastery, and others are in lines that might have been boundaries or roads.

Archaeologists found materials showing bamboo and grass were used as fuel. They also found small pieces of charcoal, burnt bamboo, and animal bones. Otein Taung dates back to at least the 9th century, earlier than the recorded history of Bagan. Many pottery pieces and long earthenware tubes were found here.

Museums

The Bagan Archaeological Museum is the only museum in the Bagan Archaeological Zone. It has rare objects from the Bagan period, including the original Myazedi inscriptions, known as the Rosetta Stone of Burma. Anawrahta's Palace was rebuilt in 2003 using the old palace's foundations, though the design above the foundations is guessed.

3D documentation with LiDAR

The Zamani Project from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, helped record important buildings in Bagan. Some buildings were damaged in an earthquake in August 2016. From 2017 to 2018, they used a special camera called LiDAR to take pictures of 12 buildings. These included Kubyauk-gyi (Gubyaukgyi), Kyauk-ku-umin, Tha-peik-hmauk-gu-hpaya, Sula-mani-gu-hpaya (Sulamani), and the City Gate of old Bagan (Tharabha Gate). This work helps protect these important places for the future.

Transport

Bagan can be reached by plane, train, bus, car, or river boat.

Air

Many visitors fly to Bagan. The main airport is Nyaung U Airport. Flights from Yangon take about 80 minutes, while flights to Mandalay take around 30 minutes and to Heho about 40 minutes. The airport is a short drive from the city.

Rail

Bagan has a train station connected to the Yangon–Mandalay Railway. Trains from Yangon take at least 18 hours and include sleeping cars and different seat types. Trains from Mandalay take at least 8 hours.

Buses and cars

Night buses and cars travel from Yangon and Mandalay, taking about 9 and 6 hours respectively.

Boat

Fast ferries travel between Bagan and Mandalay along the Irrawaddy River, taking around 9 hours for the 170 kilometres. These ferries run daily during busy times, with slower options that stop overnight also available.

Economy

Bagan's economy is mostly about tourism. The area's tourism setup is still simple because of past problems with the government. The city has a few big hotels and many small family guesthouses. Bagan is also known for its Burmese lacquerware making, which depends on tourists. Many of these beautiful items are sold in shops in Yangon and around the world, and tourists enjoy watching the lacquerware being made.

Demographics

At its busiest time, Bagan may have had between 50,000 and 200,000 people. Before the 1990s, only a few people lived in Old Bagan. As more tourists came, more people moved there. Because people can’t build permanent homes in Old Bagan, most people now live in New Bagan or Nyaung-U. Most of the local people are Bamar.

Administration

The Bagan archaeological zone is in Nyaung-U District of the Mandalay Region.

Sister cities

Bagan has sister cities around the world. These include:

• Luang Prabang, Laos
• Siem Reap, Cambodia