Myanmar

Bagan Pagodas

It’s a shame that I did not know about Bagan although I live not too far away from there. Bagan is an ancient archaeological complex in the Mandalay district of Myanmar (Burma). The city was the capital of Pagan kingdom during the 10th century. There are tons of pagodas dotted randomly in the complex. It’s an UNESCO World Heritage Site. In fact, you will find more than 2000 pagodas in Bagan near the bank of Irrawaddy river. Most of the temples were constructed between the 11th to 13th century.

I went to Bagan from Yangon by an overnight bus. As soon as I checked in the hotel there I took an electric bike and drove on my own. It’s fine if you want to follow a map, but my suggestion would be to get lost amongst these temples. At one point of driving through the ruins, I felt like; I was in another universe surrounded by aliens!

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Explore Bagan Pagodas through Photos

Such intricacy and ornaments – Ananda Temple is one of the most beautiful pagodas in Bagan

Did an elephant volunteer its teeth for building this? What about the clouds?

Thatbyinnyu Temple, Bagan, Myanmar

Want to ring a bell? A temple in Bagan where a bell is placed

Shwesandaw Pagoda, Bagan

This time, it was a white one, seems like made of pearl

Before entering to the main complex, you will cross doors and a new beauty will unfold in front of your eyes (Sulamani Temple, Bagan)

An animal is guarding the temple of Bagan.

Sulamani Temple is one of the most visited pagodas in Bagan.

A gate for entering into a temple – there are 2200 of them.

If you climb up, you will see this – but all are in different shape and size.

Side view of a Golden Buddha – you will see the statues of Buddha inside of several pagodas.

The Golden Buddha in seating posture – you will see a lot of statues of his holy highness.

Twin pagodas, I don’t know their name.

Bagan looks lovely during sunrise and sunset if the sky is clear.

Don’t sit here, please, it’s some sort of holy thing.

Getting on top of temples will give you a panoramic view

Not all the pagodas in Bagan are several stories high. Some of them are on the ground floor, too.

When you are in Bagan, you should not miss watching the sunrise and sunset from top of the temples.

If you are not tight on budget, then you can enjoy a hot-air balloon ride.

In my view, Bagan is highly underrated. I didn’t find a lot of people there when I visited. However, go there before the tourists go. And the day is tomorrow, if not today!

Top Pagodas in Bagan

While it is very difficult to choose a bunch of them, you should not miss the following:

Ananda Pahto
Thatbyinnyu Pahto
Sulamani Pahto
Dhammayangyi Pahto
Shwesandaw Pagoda

Best Pagodas to watch Sunset in Bagan

Pyathada Paya
Buledi pagoda

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Fuad Omar

Fuad loves to travel! A lot! Carrying a Bangladeshi passport means he needs a prior visa for visiting most of the countries. He got detained in many borders because of his nationality but; he didn’t give up - he set his foot to 43 countries. He believes, if he could travel the world despite all the odds, you can, too. Fuad is a Computer Engineer by profession, and author of a travelogue in Bangla. He currently lives in Dhaka, Bangladesh.