The ancient city of Bagan

Bagan was the capital of several ancient burmese kingdoms and spreads out over an area of 16 square miles. Most of the buildings were constructed during the 11th – 13th century, during which Bagan was the capital of the First Burmese Empire. The earthquake in 1975 destroyed about half of the 5000 pagodas and temples, most of which are in various stages of decay.  Some of them have been reconstructed since.

Watching the sunrise or sunset from the top of one of the pagodas is an incredible experience.

The interior of some of the pagodas are covered with beautiful murals. This is inside the Sulamani pagoda.

The Shinbinthalyaung temple is a rather unassuming vaulted brick structure from the 11th century that houses an 18m long reclining Buddha statue.

You can find more images of Bagan on my website by clicking here.