The Golden Country (part 2)

Bagan (or Pagan - as you already noticed, everything has two names in Myanmar!) is an active religious site of thousands of temples, stupas and pagodas in all shapes, sizes and colours, built between the 11th and the 13th century by a dynasty of zealous kings.

It may remind you of another impressive religious site in Southeast Asia, Angkor, but you will quickly realise that there are not so many similarities.

Both Angkor and Bagan remain two of the richest architectural sites in the world. However, in Angkor you are the witness of a lost civilisation, while in Bagan you will mingle with hundreds of monks and devotees doing their pilgrimage!

There are more than two thousand temples, stupas and pagodas, so you have to make some hard choices for the limited time you are in Bagan!

Each has its own features and hides its own treasures!

The elegant Shwezigon Paya (pagoda), completed in 1102, consists of a circular leaf-gilded bell-shaped zedi (stupa) surrounded by smaller temples and shrines and considered a prototype for all later Myanmar stupas. The ornaments around the stupa are exquisite.

Manuha Paya, built in 1059 and named after a king who was held captive there by King Anawrahta, has a huge barely fitting reclining Buddha.

Dhammayangyi Pahto (temple), built in the 12th century, is Bagan's largest, best preserved and most mysterious temple. It is said that King Narathu built the temple to atone for his sins - he smothered his father and brother to death and executed one of his wives, an Indian princess, for practising Hindu rituals. The king is also said to have mandated that the mortarless brickwork fit together so tightly that even a pin couldn't pass between any two bricks, and workers who failed in this task had their arms chopped off… The irony is that King Narathu was later assassinated as well.

In addition to its legends, the temple is the only one in Bagan to display original side-by-side Buddha statues of Gautama and Maitreya (the present and future Buddhas).

Sulamani Pahto, constructed around 1181, is known as the Crowning Jewel.

It is one of the most gorgeous and sophisticated temples in Bagan.

It also has some of the best preserved murals.

Finally, Ananda Pahto, the white-snow temple with its shimmering gold 51m-high hti (umbrella-like decorated pinnacle) is one of the finest and most revered temples. Built between 1090 and 1105, it is perfectly proportioned in the shape of a Greek cross.

The main part of the temple is in cube shape with four 9m-high giant serene Buddha statues carved from teak and adorned with gold leaf - each has its own name and features.

The best way to fully appreciate Bagan's size is from the basket of a hot-air balloon at sunrise.

The bird's eye views of the temples in the mist of the morning light, contrasting with the greenery of the palm trees and surrounding farmlands with grazing cattle, are simply breathtaking.

You have to get up really early but will be rewarded with witnessing the whole process of the balloons getting inflated in front of the mesmerised eyes of the monks and silently taking off to start their floating journey in the golden light of the rising sun.

Bagan is not only the temples but also its talented artists and craftsmen.

You can visit a lacquerware shop and see the entire lacquerware process.

You can also buy colourful sand paintings, some of which replicate the murals from inside the temples, as well as local puppets or hand-painted paper umbrellas.

You can also finish every day you stay in Bagan with a different sunset experience.

One of the best and less crowded places for sunset viewing is the temple Thabeik Hmauk with its terraces. You can also admire the golden colours of the sun on a sunset cruise on the Irrawaddy River - it is pure magic!

Gold is everywhere. Some of the temples in Myanmar like the interior of the Botataung temple in Yangon are entirely covered with gold! The gold can also be seen on other buildings like Karaweik, a floating palace-restaurant on the eastern shore of Kandawgyi Lake in Yangon.

However, Myanmar is not the Golden Country only because of its stunning temples and golden splendour, but also because of its gorgeous colonial architecture, colourful markets, quaint fishing villages, delicious food and gentle smiling people!