Bagan is perhaps Myanmar’s No 1 tourist destination and as
one of the world’s greatest archeological sites is often compared with Machu
Picchu or Angkor Wat. Set on a plain in the bend of the Irrawaddy River, it
plays host to hundreds of temples the silhouettes of which rise above the palm
and tamarind trees. The temples were built by the kings of Bagan between
1057 and 1287 an intense phase of construction that was ended by earthquakes
and Kublai Khan and his invading Mongols. Some 2,230 of an original 4,450
temples survive, a legacy of the Buddhist belief that to build a temple was to
earn merit.
The biggest |
On the first day we toured the town itself and visited the
largest and most impressive temples. It’s difficult to compare what is
being seen with anything in the west. These aren’t buildings like a
church designed to accommodate people, but gigantic monuments, huge piles of
bricks, built at a breakneck speed presumably with an enormous workforce.
Although the individual monuments are substantial in their own
right its the cumulative effect on the landscape as a whole which makes Bagan
really interesting, particularly when you consider than only half the original
total survive. The obligatory climb to the top of a temple to watch a
sunset with hundreds of others, was unfortunately spoiled by clouds, but on a perfect
evening the view, with all those silhouettes, must be impressive.
The next day we went to Mt Popa and climbed up to the Taungkalat
Monastery. The monastery reminded me of Bavarian castles, the sort of
fairy tale effect sought by dreamt up by Ludwig II in the mid-19th Century.
Also interesting was the shrine to the Nat Spirits, 37 of which are
worshipped by locals (co-existing with Buddhism) around the Mt Popa area.
Along with everyone else I particularly appreciated the offerings of
alcohol and liquor to the Nat Spirit Min Kyawzwa who was
supposed to have died an alcoholic.
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Min Kyawzwa |
The 50 km ride back to Bagan, generally downhill, and the
last big ride on the trip was excellent. I’m not sure what the locals
thought of what in this country would be ancient old men trying to outdo each
other, but I found it reassuring to find that my competitive spirit hadn’t
entirely disappeared.
My 400km companion |
On the morning of the last day in Bagan we visited another
temple and insisted on extending the journey just enough to ensure that we
exceeded 400kms for the whole trip.
Postscript
The schedule includes a day in Rangoon before returning home the following day. 'Let sleeping dogs lie' is a very sensible saying, but one Christine unfortunately forgot. In Rangoon she stepped on a sleeping dog (she was gazing up at the buildings) which rapidly woke up, moved and tripping Christine who hit the ground painfully. Back in Brighton an x-ray happily confirmed that her foot was not broken, but it remained sore for some weeks.
Very nice and interesting trip to Burma and thanks for sharing your experiences with us. Regards.
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