Temple hopping in Bagan, Myanmar

Bagan Archaeological Complex:

For the last few days of my Myanmar trip, I headed up north to the temple town of Bagan, which was a great change of pace from the hustle and bustle of Yangon. This tiny town was once the capital of the Pagan kingdom, which was the first to unify what is current state Myanmar and establish Burmese culture. Bagan was once the grandest exhibition of the Buddhist devotions of its early 10th century Kings, and today has the highest concentration of temples, pagodas and stupas in the world. The archaeological complex originally had over 10,000 temples but due to earthquakes over the years only 3,000 odd structures survive today.

Bagan temples by the banks of a lotus pond

Temple hopping across Bagan

Once I checked into my hotel, it was time to rent an electric bike and start exploring as much of the sprawling archaeological temple complex as possible. Some of the structures are well preserved and maintained, but others show the ravages of time and decay. Each is unique and the main body of the temples are either modeled after the styles of the angular Indian Boddhisattas, oval Sri Lankan Stupas, or bell shaped Yangon Pagodas. I spent most of the day riding from temple to temple, climbing up steep steps for the best views, then enjoying the amazing structures that dotted the paddy field plains as far as the eye could see. Almost all of the temples were once functioning places of worship, so there are numerous Buddha statues, murals and carvings to admire on the interior of the structures as well.

Temple to temple view

Temples dotting the Bagan plains

Various styles of stupas on view

Buddha statue and murals in a temple

More stupas

Shwesandaw pagoda undergoing repairs

Bagan at sunrise

The highlights of my short Bagan trip were the stunning sunrise and beautiful sunset views. In order to watch the sunrise, I had to wake up at an unearthly 4:30am to ensure I could secure a good vantage point among the crowd of similar minded early risers. I was able to get a good spot a few levels up the Bulethi stupa, then was rewarded with an amazing view of temple spires poking out of the morning mist while the early dawn cast its multicolored shades of light from the horizon.

Multicolored sunrise views from Bulethi stupa

Golden hues across the temple spires

Early risers perched on any available vantage point

Bagan at sunset

The temples normally get even more crowded by tourists and locals alike for the sunsets, so I had to research and check out a few potential viewing spots. I finally settled on a spot atop the Myauk Guni pagoda, and from my vantage point it was magical watching the rays of the setting sun bathe the temples and Bagan plains with their golden hues. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience, and a fitting end to my brief Myanmar trip.