Bagan

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

During its peak between the 11th and 13th centuries, people built more than 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas, and monasteries in the Bagan area. Even though many were lost over time, more than 2,200 of these buildings still remain today.

Bagan is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a popular destination for visitors to Myanmar. The Bagan Archaeological Zone is one of the main attractions for the country's growing tourism industry.

Etymology

Bagan is the current name used in Burmese for the ancient city, coming from the word Pugan in old Burmese, which was Pukam. In the ancient language Pali, the city was called Arimaddanapura, meaning "the City that Tramples on Enemies." Other old names for the city refer to its very dry climate, such as Tattadesa, meaning "parched land," and Tampadīpa, meaning "bronzed country." The old stories from Burma also mention names like Thiri Pyissaya and Tampawaddy.

History

9th to 13th centuries

Main articles: Early Pagan kingdom and Pagan kingdom

Bagan began around the second century CE and became important in the mid-to-late 9th century. From 1044 to 1287, it was the capital of the Bagan Empire. During this time, over 10,000 religious buildings were built, including temples, stupas, and monasteries.

Bagan was a rich city with many different kinds of learning, including languages, medicine, and stars. People from far away came to study and share ideas. The city was busy with builders, artists, and workers, and many lived there from many places.

The Bagan Empire ended in 1287 after attacks, though it is believed 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 big 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 located in the flat plains 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 found in the middle of the Dry Zone, which stretches between Shwebo in the north and Pyay in the south. Unlike the coastal areas of the country that get a lot of rain from monsoons, the Dry Zone receives 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. These rings ended in a lotus bud shape, which later became a banana bud shape at the very top. Many stupas had terraces and tiles showing stories from Buddhist teachings.

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, and they became larger and more impressive during the Bagan period.

Innovations

Bagan introduced new ways of building, such as vaulting in temples, which was not common in India at the time. The stonework of these buildings was very well done, and many survived an earthquake in 1975. Another new design from Bagan was the temple with a five-sided floor plan, honoring five important Buddhist figures. The Dhammayazika and Ngamyethna Pagodas are examples of this design.

Notable cultural sites

The walled core of "Old Bagan"

The main part of Old Bagan covers 140 hectares and is surrounded by three walls along the river. There might have been a fourth wall on the western side, but it was washed away by the river at some time. The river has also worn away parts of the city, and some buildings near the river are falling into the water.

Old Bagan is much smaller than the areas where other important buildings are found, 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 located 2 km south of the Ananda temple in Old Bagan. The name "Otein Taung" means "pottery hill". This area has two mounds separated by 500 meters, both covered with pieces of broken pottery. Around these mounds, there are about 40 small monuments, mostly from the 13th century. Some are near a monastery, while others are arranged in lines that might have been boundaries or roads.

Archaeologists found layers of material that suggest bamboo and grass were used as fuel. They also discovered small pieces of charcoal, burnt bamboo, and some animal bones. Otein Taung dates back to at least the 9th century, earlier than the recorded history of Bagan. Many pieces of pottery spouts and necks were found here, along with long earthenware tubes that might have been part of old toilets.

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 based on the foundations of the old palace, though the design above the foundations is based on guesses.

3D documentation with LiDAR

The Zamani Project from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, helped record important buildings in Bagan after an earthquake in August 2016 damaged some of them. Between 2017 and 2018, they used a special camera called LiDAR to take pictures of 12 buildings, including 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. Because of past problems with the government, the area's tourism setup is still simple compared to other places. The city has a few big hotels and many small family guesthouses. Bagan is also known for its Burmese lacquerware making, which depends a lot on tourists. Many of these beautiful items are sold in shops in Yangon and around the world, and watching the lacquerware being made has become something tourists enjoy.

Demographics

In its busiest time, Bagan may have had between 50,000 and 200,000 people living there. Before the 1990s, only a small number of villagers lived in Old Bagan. As tourism grew, more people moved to the area. Because people can’t build permanent homes in Old Bagan anymore, most residents now live in New Bagan, south of Old Bagan, or Nyaung-U, north of Old Bagan. Most of the local people are Bamar.

Administration

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

Sister cities

Bagan has sister cities around the world. These include:

• Luang Prabang, Laos
• Siem Reap, Cambodia