Bagan is one of the most significant archeological sites of South East Asia. In spite of this, it is still relatively unknown because of the isolation the country has been in for decades. Bagan is an ancient city that was the capital of the prosperous Bagan empire that controlled most of present day Burma. At the height of empire’s power between the 11th and 13th century more than 10,000 temples and pagodas were built. Today, about 2,200 monuments remain which makes Bagan one of the most dense concentrations of temples and pagodas in the world. The scale of Bagan can be overwhelming with its thousands of monuments as far as the eye can see. Some are very well maintained and have been restored, while others are neglected and overgrown with vegetation. While Bagan’s history goes back to the 9th century, massive temple construction began during the reign of King Anawrahta, who founded the Bagan empire in 1044. The King who was converted to Theravada Buddhism built some of the grandest temples of Bagan, such as the Shwezigon Pagoda as an act of making merit. Gradually Bagan became a center for Buddhism attracting monks from far away countries.

Bagan is an excellent site to see a number of ancient monuments built in various architectural styles. The site shows the development in architecture and design over the course of several centuries. Since many Kings wanted to leave a legacy for future generations to see, impressive monuments were erected in evolving styles and shapes. Impressive on the outside, the interior of some of the well preserved temples matches the exterior. While some of the temples have beautiful murals and frescoes, others have magnificent Buddha images, like the Ananda temple that has four teak standing Buddha images representing the four previous Buddhas. The city of Bagan used to be surrounded by walls that were built around the start of the 11th century. There used to be 12 gates, one for each sign of the Zodiac. Today only a small section of the walls remain, and only one of the original gates, the Tharabha gate is left. In 1975 a large earthquake hit Bagan, seriously damaging many of its temples. During the 1990’s the Burmese government had many of the damaged temples and pagodas restored.

A large two story museum opened its doors in 1998. There are numerous ancient objects discovered in the Bagan temples and pagodas on display, including Buddha images up to 1,000 years old, carved plaques depicting the Buddha, ancient stone inscriptions, wood carvings and stone sculptures. The museum also contains copies of murals found in several Bagan temples. One very significant object that is on display in the museum is the Myazedi inscription dating back to 1113, which makes it the oldest known stone inscription in Burma. Some of the main temples and pagodas in Bagan are: Shwezigon pagoda, Ananda pagoda, Gawdawpalin temple, Sulamani temple, Thatbyinnyu temple, Seinnyet sister temples, Bupaya pagoda, Mahabodhi temple, Htilominlo temple, Mingalazedi pagoda, Dhammayazika pagoda, Dhammayangyi temple, Lawkananda pagoda, Manuha temple, Pyathadar temple, Pahtothamya temple, Myazedi pagoda, Shwesandaw pagoda, Gubyaukgyi temple.