Bagan 3

More Temples and Stupas

Shwezigon 'Ground of Victory' Pagoda

Built in 1057 by King Anawratha to be the most important shrine in Bagan and the center of the new Theravada Buddhism

It contains 37 pre Buddhist Nat images along with Buddhist reliquaries and remains one of the most revered temples in Bagan

Beautiful in it's symmetry Swezigon became the prototype for many of the pagodas of Myanmar. The entire pagoda is encased in 30,205 gilded copper plates provided through the generosity of monks and visitors

An indentation on the East side of the stupa was filled with water to allow the Kings to view the hti without tipping their heads back and risking the loss of their crowns. Others claim this small pool is a water scale used by the masons to measure the angle of the Pagoda Whatever the pools true purpose, today there is a telescope through which to view the hti

Day and night Gautama sat under a bo tree

The Nine Wonders of Shwezigon Pagoda

The Crown (Hti) has no iron buttresses
The shadows cast by the precinct walls do not change position
Gold foil dropped from the top of the pagoda never falls outside the precinct
The precinct can hold any number of visitors and pilgrims
There is always an early morning offering of steamed rice at the Pagoda
Big drum beaten on one side of the Pagoda, cannot be heard on the other side
The Pagoda gives you an illusion of it being on a ridge
In spite of heavy rainfall, no rain water remains in its precinct
The Khayey trees and Chayar trees in the precinct bloom all the year round

Monks tour the grounds collecting alms, please donate, especially if you take their photograph

Dhammayazika

The oldest pentagonal monument in the world is set amongst planters of flowers. Every temple and pagoda in Myanmar is managed by a board of trustees. They are responsible for raising the money needed for upkeep. Hoping to gain merit General Khin Nyuht Secretary One paid for the very expensive restoration. Badly damaged during the 2016 earthquake it has since reopened

There is a wonderful view of the plain of Bagan from the highest point

Restored temple on left and newly built in foreground

To bring Buddhist teaching and philosophy within the understanding of those unable to read the Jataka, tales from the life of Buddha were depicted on glazed tiles and set into the base and terraces of some temples. Many have been destroyed or looted. Some of the best can be seen here, at Dhammayazika at Ananda and Mingala Zedi

In 2005 Tony and I based ourselves between Old Bagan and Nyaung U It was a good choice, close to temples and good restaurants. A short bicycle ride along the road to Nyaung U the Nanda restaurant offered good food in congenial surroundings with a charming puppet show if you have managed to get this far without seeing one. The Eden BBQ restaurant had good food and beautiful decor. Prices were high for Bagan, but worth it. For Indian fare find the Aroma 2, hopefully if you have been to Naungshwe you will have already eaten at Aroma 1, ( now closed)

Golden Express Bungalows Nyaung U

Inexpensive and comfortable. From our breakfast spot in the garden we could watch the balloons flying over

Vegetarian Restaurant

There were lots of reasons to visit "Be Kind To Animals". The excellent vegetarian food, pleasant staff to chat to, good information about the temples within cycling distance and a nice little drawing of an elephant added to my Lonely Planet Guide.

Looking on line in 2019 it is nice to see it growing and flourishing and looking very different from when Tony took this photo in 2005

Riverside temple undergoing extensive renovation

The nature and extent of the renovation and in some cases rebuilding of Bagan left me a little uneasy. Obviously earthquake damage to major structures has to be repaired. But there seem to be many small completely new monuments going up all over the Plain

Originally the work was being supervised by UNESCO but they were expelled and an inferior conservation plan enacted

I would prefer to see fewer monuments and those original and restored to UNESCO standards

An application for heritage status was submitted in 2017, maybe it is finally going to happen

Thatbyinnyu

With it's adjacent 'tally' zedi built with one brick for every 10,000 used in the main temple

Shwesandaw, 1057

Since the closing of the upper terraces of the tallest temples this has become the monument of choice at sunset

A cloud of dust usually signals goats on the move. I don't know what the goats and cows above were grazing on but the peace and quiet of the rural idyll was shattered by the ricochet of flatulence which had to be heard to be believed

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