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Bagan Attractions

Shwezigon Pagoda. It is a solid, cylindrical structure resting on three square terraces, a prototype of Myanmar stupas. It has a bold waist-band round the bell shaped dome above which rises a series of concentric mouldings ending in a finial and crowned by an umbrella. Shwezigon pagoda is one of the fifty five encased pagoda in Bagan. The inner one was build by the father king Anawrahta and covered with the stones by the son king Kyanzitthar. Around the terraces...

Ahlodawpyae Pagoda

Located between the new Bagan and the village of Bagan, this temple is style of tradition between the first period and the intermediate period. It still expresses traces of the Pyu culture, with the stupa placed on the superstructure, which preceded the arrival by Sikkhara as in Nat Hlaung Kyaung then then in Nanpaya, the first temples of briques. The pagoda which one thinks that the origins were one century earlier. It is simple, the hall opens in the East,...

Nyaung U and Wetkyi In

Nyaung U and Wetkyi In is about 5 km north-east of Old Bagan. It is the most populated area in Bagan. The Airport of Bagan is located in this region and hence called Nyaung U Airport. This region has many markets for shopping purposes and many hotels for accommodation. The followings are listed to be in the Nyaung U & Wetkyi In region. (Source:...

Lawkahteikpan Temple

Close to Shwesandaw Pagoda stands Lawkahteikpan Temple – a small but interesting Middle period gu (cave) containing excellent frescoes and inscriptions in both Burmese and Mon. Lawkahteikpan means “the adorned tip of the world”. It was built by King Alaungsithu, the successor of Kyanzittha. (Source:...

Mahabodhi Temple

Mahabodhi Pagoda. This pagoda was built by Nantaungmya (1211-34 A.D.) after the model of the temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar, and is the only specimen of its class in Myanmar. The basement is a quandrangular block of no great height, supporting a tall pyramidal spire. The finial is a small slim stupa. The sanctum, facing east, occupies only a portion of the quadrangle, but with the projections of the side walls towards the east a spacious prayer hall could...

Htilominlo Temple

Htilominlo Temple. Built about 1211 A.D. by King Nantaungmya, it is one of the greater temples of Bagan. It is a double-storeyed structure rising 150 feet above the ground level. The square base measures 140 feet on each side. The main vestibule faces east, while smaller projections on the remaining sides’provide porches of arched entrances. Portions of fine plaster carvings still survive on the arch pediments, frieze and pilasters. The terraces are decorated with pieces of sandstone glazed in green.The...

Pahtothamya Temple

In the same temple-crowded central area, the Pahtothamya (or Thamya Pahto) was probably built during the reign of Kyansittha (1084-1113), although it is popularly held to be one of five temples built by the non-historical king Taungthugyi (931-964). The interior of this single-storey building is dimly lit, typical of the early type of Pyu-influenced temples with their small, perforated stone windows. In its vertical superstructure and lotus-bud sikhara, however, the monument is clearly beginning to move forward from the Early...

Shwegugyi Temple

Shwegugyi Temple. It is a lesser but elegant temple built by Alaungsithu in 1131 A.D. Standing on a high brick platform, the temple faces north and access to it is made by a flight of steps at the north¬west comer. Both the hall and the inner corridor round the central mass have doorways and open windows which freely admit light and air. The arch-pediments, pilasters, plinth and comice mouldings are decorated with fine stucco carvings. Its history is recorded on...

Shinbinthalyaung Temple

Shinbinthalyaung or recumbent image of the Buddha : It is a colossal recumbent image 60 feet long, in a brick shed within the precincts of the Shwesandaw pagoda. Unlike the recumbent image in the Manuha temple at Myinkaba its head points to the south, whereas the latter points to the north, a position assumed by Gautama Buddha when he was lying on his death-bed between two sal trees at Kusinara. Stylistically, this image may be assigned to the 11th century...

Shwesandaw Pagoda

Shwesandaw Pagoda. It is a cylindrical stupa with five terraces, the first to be built by king Anawrahta after his conquest of Thaton in 1057 A.D. It is said that some sacred hairs of Gautama Buddha, which were obtained from the Mon country, were enshrined in it. The pagoda is also known as the Mahapeinne or Ganesha Pagoda. Originally, the terraces were adorned with fine terracotta plaques depicting scenes from the Jatakas. It has recently been renovated by the public...

Mee Nyein Gone Temple

Mee Nyein Gone Temple is located south of Old Bagan. “Mee Nyein Gone” means “the hill where the fire extinguishes”. Floral painting can be seen on the inside walls and ceiling. (Source:...

Myoe Daung Monastery

The main monastery building with an east-west orientation, is approximately 130ft (40m) x 115ft (35m). Most of its significant elements are from the pre-colonial Kone Baung period; some of the rooms were rebuilt. (Source:...