we'd heard about bagan ko bakhan, but noting prepared for us for what we saw in our two days stay in this historic place. it was like going back in time... and getting a glimpse of the grandeur and heights the place had reached two millennia ago. being guided around the pagodas and temples, i for one, got more knowledgeable about the life and teachings of buddha, the various mudras of his hands, for instance!
baba and i flew to bagan (the pronunciation is between bagan and pagan) from yangon on an early morning flight... we landed in this small airport in the newer part of bagan known as nyuang oo
we had the luxury of a local guide to take us around... the first thing kyo kyo (pronounced cho cho) did, was to take us to the top of a stupa near the airport, giving us a nearly bird's eye view of the area... and an overview of the place's history... pant... pant... pant!!!
the old city was spread out before us. kyo kyo told us that there were a total of about 3000 monuments within a 16 sq.km. radius of the old bagan. the city flourished as the capital between the 11th and 13th centuries and then 'abandoned' following the invasion of the mongol tartars of kublai khan... kyo kyo told us that there were 5 kinds of monuments in the city.. the solid structures of the stupas/ pagodas, the hollow temples, were hollow, then there were monasteries, libraries and caves.
greenery and brick structures... and the absence of modern structures, automobiles, or presence of humanity.... it seems the great earthquake of 1975, ravaged the city, and toppled many pagodas and temples. the fact that the authorities 'renovated' and not 'restored' the old structures seems to be a reason why this unique place is not under unesco's heritage list...
we then went to check in at our hotel... the 'bagan thande hotel' a lovely place on the banks of the ayerrawaddy (airavati, according to dada!) river...
the river originates from the easternmost mountains of the himalaya and meanders its way down south and eventually spills itself into the andaman sea. the river seems to be the lifeblood in the country.. amongst its many natural resources... used as a transportation artery... and also giving sustenance to farmers...
our river guide later in the evening told us that during the monsoons the river floods up and is so wide in this area that it looks like a big grey sea… when the flood waters recede, it leaves behind a lot of silt and sand. Farmers rush in to plant peanuts, especially in the river islands.. more of the river later...
one of the first sightseeing spots of the day was the schwezigon pagoda, touted by kyo kyo as the ‘most magnificent monument’ in bagan. the pagoda did indeed stand out behind a dark blue sky…
kyo kyo even pointed out the special feature of the 4 metre high buddha’s pose with the right hand in the ‘abhaya’ (no fear) mudra…
in one of the resting pavilions on the side the ceiling featured symbols of the zodiac as well as the signs of the myanmar 8-day week
…representation of the detractors of a meditating buddha being swept away in a flood…
…and baba finds a hansa bird down at his own level!
… and a myanmari ill and infirmed person which buddha saw and which made him renounce his princely life…
… in the pagoda grounds kyo kyo introduced us to the ‘star’ flower tree that blossomed all year round…
… we also saw a beautiful idol of god indra….
…and a wood carving rendition of some aspect of the life and times of lord buddha
… next kyo kyo took us to the shin izza gawna temple, its (crooked) spire revealing indian influence…
… the stucco details outside…
… the beautiful entrance…
our next stop was the htilomino (no, don’t know how to pronounce this one!) temple
one of the buddha statues in the temple…
… where one can still find old murals …
another statue on the other side of the temple…
… the outside of this temple was also very beautiful, with plaster carvings…
there were many vendors selling trinkets and sand paintings, as well as the famous paintings of rows of myanmari monks with their alms bowls
another beautiful sandstone detail…
then it was time for lunch and kyo kyo took us to the green elephant riverside resort. it was right on the banks of the airavati, from where one could see the great river twinkling in the sun and winding its way down south…
kyo kyo had asked us before we went there as to what cuisine we preferred.. we said chinese…. looking at the guests who seemed to be the same people we’d flown into bagan with that morning, and looking at the cosmopolitan fare offered in the menu, and the fact that all the guides were being offered a hearty meal on the side, one could but conjecture that no matter what cuisine we’d said we preferred, we’d have ended up in the green elephant resort!!
while we were having lunch we could see farmers ploughing and readying the banks of the river islands for crops using oxen…
… also saw a pair of chakhewa chakhewi, (the ruddy shellduck)… almost felt like i was by the banks of the narayani river back home…
our next stop was a lacquer ware workshop…
… where we saw men and women crafting delicate lacquer ware starting out with thin bamboo strips
… carving out delicate designs on the lacquered surface…
every visit to a workshop of course, ending in a shop selling the stuff…
kyo kyo then took us to the nanpaya temple which had beautiful images of the four-headed brahma sculpted in the pillars.
the guide was saying that some said that in the centre of the temple there was a shrine to shiva... while others said it used to have buddha’s image.
the temple had exquisite carvings on the outside too…
… with stone carved lattice worked windows…
… and little hansa birds (yes again!) all in a row…
we then went to the manuha temple where the idols seemed to be cramped into almost claustrophobic spaces. kyo kyo told us that the place was built by a kings who had been held captive, and the confined space represented his own unhappiness of his captivity… baba and kyo kyo are dwarfed by buddha’s fingers in bhusparsha mudra
… barely enough headroom for lord buddha…
… and in the backside, an equally squeezed up space for buddha’s idol in parinirvana pose…
… a smiling pre-nirvana buddha
kyo kyo then took us to what he called the ‘most beautiful monument’ in bagan… the ananda ‘phaya’ temple… another monument with indian influence…
the temple spire is gilded and looks beautiful in the morning and evening sunlight
the inspiration for this temple with ‘1000 niches’, corners and 3 layers of corridors, is said to be drawn from the ‘e-description’ by monks of the nandamula cave in the himalaya
a colourful statue…
.. the 9.5 metre high buddha with abhaya mudra…
these images are also said to have the ‘indian’ influence with a ‘triple’ fold in the neck, and the thin flowing robe that reveals the nipples and the knees…
… another statue has buddha holding possibly a herbal pill between his fingers…
..then there was one where buddha’s hands are in the dharmachakra mudra. kyo kyo showed us that when one is at the base of the statue, buddha’s face looks serious and sullen, but the further away one stands, buddha’s face looks happier….
… this is the happily smiling buddha
the corridors are lined with little niches that each has little statues… and there are huge teak doors big enough it seems to even let an elephant through!!!
after the round of temples we headed for the river.. where we saw barges loaded with logs making their way downstream…
the boats were run with single piston engines with the rotor on the tip of long pipes
.. there were larger boats too.. heritage from the british colonial times.. these boats do an overnight trips upstream to mandalay…
the boat we were in to watch the sunset over the river, was owned by boa, which had an extra digit in his hands and feet… 24 fingers in total…
we got a glimpse of the schwezigon pagoda’s gilded dome glistening in the evening sun…
baba got a gift of petrified rock as a gift from boa (kyo kyo is in the background) .. it seems the area is littered with vestige of trees that were petrified following volcanic eruption millennia ago…
we sipped green tea.. sucked on tamarind flakes.. and watched the sun go behind the hills… bit by bit…
.. by bit…
.. by bit…
.. until she was gone…
… leaving behind the airavati to capture the ruddy glow…
… we floated down silently down the river watching the sky turning pink and purple…
… and the waters reflecting the colours of the sky…
...we saw a steamer pushing a barge full of excavators and bull dozers… chugging is way upstream…
we drifted close to the bhuphaya pagoda… which it seems had toppled into the river during the big earthquake of ‘75
back in the hotel we had dinner under the wonderful canopy of the acacia trees…
… and watched a woman use her deft finger work making her puppets dance to her tune…
next morning.. we got reminded of new years’ eve early on…
this day, we went around bagan without a guide. partly on foot, then on a tanga… we started with the gawdawpalin temple which was a stone’s throw away from the hotel…
…inside the temple…
baba is miniaturised by buddha’s image…
… i found the entwined serpents on the back of the image quite unique.. . and reminiscent of lord vishnu’s image
… bhusparsha on a lotus…
we then walked through the rare human settlement in old bagan (the regime had shifted the entire populace living there previously about a score years ago).. the huts almost feeling like a terai settlement…
i walked down to the river banks and did sechan of airavati
.. meanwhile farmers were weeding and digging their peanut patches on the river banks…
we walked to the squash-like buphaya pagoda
.. a more modern marble buddha in mirrored chamber in the premises
… we negotiated a tanga ride of the remaining monuments to be seen in bagan from a young boy, whose father was indian and mother myanmari
… we went to the thatbyinnyu temple…
… the intricate design of the domed ceiling…
and then our tanga took us to the ‘largest monument in bagan’, the dhammayanagi temple.. almost looking like an aztec pyramid…
the brickwork of this temple is so fine.. almost seamless joints, like the teliya brickwork of the malla era temples in kathmandu. it is said that the king did saphaya of all masons through whose masonry he could push through a needle.. phew!!
…a ‘neckless’ buddha inside the temple…
… baba ventured up a narrow and steep staircase to one of the windows to see if he could get a nice viewing spot for the sunset that evening…
the window from the outside…
this was indeed a beautiful structure…
our basanti’s next stop was …
… the sulamani (mani as in gem, ruby ) temple
the murals inside.. once again featuring buddha with entwined serpents in the back…
.. these temples very much ‘lived in’ with worshippers offering silent prayers…
the delicate features outside the temple…
we went through a dusty by road to scout for a place for sunset viewing…
… we finally thought the best vantage point was from the top of the shwesandaw pagoda
the beautiful blend of blue, green and ochre
… so in the evening we directed our tangawala to head towards the pagoda…
… we met colourful bayalgada ferrying tourists to monuments…
the pagoda terrace was already filling up with tourists.. all with one thing in mind.. to view sunset over bagan…
the sun was still hovering over the hills when we reached the third terrace
… its rays were being reflected by any hint of gold…
and behind us the scenery almost looked like it was a painting…
… the spires ahead of us under the full glare of the setting sun…
.. and bit shaded by my palm…
a temple at the back of us.. also spilling with tourists…
.. on our pagoda too.. the tourists capturing the sunset in their cameras
… and we all watched the sun going down…
… down…
… down…
…
…
.. and gone…
…baba watches the last rays of the sun…
as we head back to the hotel after the sunset 'show' (the tourists actually clapped when the sun went behind the hill!!).. it was fascinating to see the silhouette of the monuments and acacia trees…
back in the hotel… we had a nice new year’s eve dinner and were once again reminded that 2010 was about to leave us….
iti bagan ko bakhan
baba and i flew to bagan (the pronunciation is between bagan and pagan) from yangon on an early morning flight... we landed in this small airport in the newer part of bagan known as nyuang oo
we had the luxury of a local guide to take us around... the first thing kyo kyo (pronounced cho cho) did, was to take us to the top of a stupa near the airport, giving us a nearly bird's eye view of the area... and an overview of the place's history... pant... pant... pant!!!
the old city was spread out before us. kyo kyo told us that there were a total of about 3000 monuments within a 16 sq.km. radius of the old bagan. the city flourished as the capital between the 11th and 13th centuries and then 'abandoned' following the invasion of the mongol tartars of kublai khan... kyo kyo told us that there were 5 kinds of monuments in the city.. the solid structures of the stupas/ pagodas, the hollow temples, were hollow, then there were monasteries, libraries and caves.
greenery and brick structures... and the absence of modern structures, automobiles, or presence of humanity.... it seems the great earthquake of 1975, ravaged the city, and toppled many pagodas and temples. the fact that the authorities 'renovated' and not 'restored' the old structures seems to be a reason why this unique place is not under unesco's heritage list...
we then went to check in at our hotel... the 'bagan thande hotel' a lovely place on the banks of the ayerrawaddy (airavati, according to dada!) river...
the river originates from the easternmost mountains of the himalaya and meanders its way down south and eventually spills itself into the andaman sea. the river seems to be the lifeblood in the country.. amongst its many natural resources... used as a transportation artery... and also giving sustenance to farmers...
our river guide later in the evening told us that during the monsoons the river floods up and is so wide in this area that it looks like a big grey sea… when the flood waters recede, it leaves behind a lot of silt and sand. Farmers rush in to plant peanuts, especially in the river islands.. more of the river later...
one of the first sightseeing spots of the day was the schwezigon pagoda, touted by kyo kyo as the ‘most magnificent monument’ in bagan. the pagoda did indeed stand out behind a dark blue sky…
kyo kyo even pointed out the special feature of the 4 metre high buddha’s pose with the right hand in the ‘abhaya’ (no fear) mudra…
in one of the resting pavilions on the side the ceiling featured symbols of the zodiac as well as the signs of the myanmar 8-day week
…representation of the detractors of a meditating buddha being swept away in a flood…
…and baba finds a hansa bird down at his own level!
… and a myanmari ill and infirmed person which buddha saw and which made him renounce his princely life…
… in the pagoda grounds kyo kyo introduced us to the ‘star’ flower tree that blossomed all year round…
… we also saw a beautiful idol of god indra….
…and a wood carving rendition of some aspect of the life and times of lord buddha
… next kyo kyo took us to the shin izza gawna temple, its (crooked) spire revealing indian influence…
… the stucco details outside…
… the beautiful entrance…
our next stop was the htilomino (no, don’t know how to pronounce this one!) temple
one of the buddha statues in the temple…
… where one can still find old murals …
another statue on the other side of the temple…
… the outside of this temple was also very beautiful, with plaster carvings…
there were many vendors selling trinkets and sand paintings, as well as the famous paintings of rows of myanmari monks with their alms bowls
another beautiful sandstone detail…
then it was time for lunch and kyo kyo took us to the green elephant riverside resort. it was right on the banks of the airavati, from where one could see the great river twinkling in the sun and winding its way down south…
kyo kyo had asked us before we went there as to what cuisine we preferred.. we said chinese…. looking at the guests who seemed to be the same people we’d flown into bagan with that morning, and looking at the cosmopolitan fare offered in the menu, and the fact that all the guides were being offered a hearty meal on the side, one could but conjecture that no matter what cuisine we’d said we preferred, we’d have ended up in the green elephant resort!!
while we were having lunch we could see farmers ploughing and readying the banks of the river islands for crops using oxen…
… also saw a pair of chakhewa chakhewi, (the ruddy shellduck)… almost felt like i was by the banks of the narayani river back home…
our next stop was a lacquer ware workshop…
… where we saw men and women crafting delicate lacquer ware starting out with thin bamboo strips
… carving out delicate designs on the lacquered surface…
every visit to a workshop of course, ending in a shop selling the stuff…
kyo kyo then took us to the nanpaya temple which had beautiful images of the four-headed brahma sculpted in the pillars.
the guide was saying that some said that in the centre of the temple there was a shrine to shiva... while others said it used to have buddha’s image.
the temple had exquisite carvings on the outside too…
… with stone carved lattice worked windows…
… and little hansa birds (yes again!) all in a row…
we then went to the manuha temple where the idols seemed to be cramped into almost claustrophobic spaces. kyo kyo told us that the place was built by a kings who had been held captive, and the confined space represented his own unhappiness of his captivity… baba and kyo kyo are dwarfed by buddha’s fingers in bhusparsha mudra
… barely enough headroom for lord buddha…
… and in the backside, an equally squeezed up space for buddha’s idol in parinirvana pose…
… a smiling pre-nirvana buddha
kyo kyo then took us to what he called the ‘most beautiful monument’ in bagan… the ananda ‘phaya’ temple… another monument with indian influence…
the temple spire is gilded and looks beautiful in the morning and evening sunlight
the inspiration for this temple with ‘1000 niches’, corners and 3 layers of corridors, is said to be drawn from the ‘e-description’ by monks of the nandamula cave in the himalaya
a colourful statue…
.. the 9.5 metre high buddha with abhaya mudra…
these images are also said to have the ‘indian’ influence with a ‘triple’ fold in the neck, and the thin flowing robe that reveals the nipples and the knees…
… another statue has buddha holding possibly a herbal pill between his fingers…
..then there was one where buddha’s hands are in the dharmachakra mudra. kyo kyo showed us that when one is at the base of the statue, buddha’s face looks serious and sullen, but the further away one stands, buddha’s face looks happier….
… this is the happily smiling buddha
the corridors are lined with little niches that each has little statues… and there are huge teak doors big enough it seems to even let an elephant through!!!
after the round of temples we headed for the river.. where we saw barges loaded with logs making their way downstream…
the boats were run with single piston engines with the rotor on the tip of long pipes
.. there were larger boats too.. heritage from the british colonial times.. these boats do an overnight trips upstream to mandalay…
the boat we were in to watch the sunset over the river, was owned by boa, which had an extra digit in his hands and feet… 24 fingers in total…
we got a glimpse of the schwezigon pagoda’s gilded dome glistening in the evening sun…
baba got a gift of petrified rock as a gift from boa (kyo kyo is in the background) .. it seems the area is littered with vestige of trees that were petrified following volcanic eruption millennia ago…
we sipped green tea.. sucked on tamarind flakes.. and watched the sun go behind the hills… bit by bit…
.. by bit…
.. by bit…
.. until she was gone…
… leaving behind the airavati to capture the ruddy glow…
… we floated down silently down the river watching the sky turning pink and purple…
… and the waters reflecting the colours of the sky…
...we saw a steamer pushing a barge full of excavators and bull dozers… chugging is way upstream…
we drifted close to the bhuphaya pagoda… which it seems had toppled into the river during the big earthquake of ‘75
back in the hotel we had dinner under the wonderful canopy of the acacia trees…
… and watched a woman use her deft finger work making her puppets dance to her tune…
next morning.. we got reminded of new years’ eve early on…
this day, we went around bagan without a guide. partly on foot, then on a tanga… we started with the gawdawpalin temple which was a stone’s throw away from the hotel…
…inside the temple…
baba is miniaturised by buddha’s image…
… i found the entwined serpents on the back of the image quite unique.. . and reminiscent of lord vishnu’s image
… bhusparsha on a lotus…
we then walked through the rare human settlement in old bagan (the regime had shifted the entire populace living there previously about a score years ago).. the huts almost feeling like a terai settlement…
i walked down to the river banks and did sechan of airavati
.. meanwhile farmers were weeding and digging their peanut patches on the river banks…
we walked to the squash-like buphaya pagoda
.. a more modern marble buddha in mirrored chamber in the premises
… we negotiated a tanga ride of the remaining monuments to be seen in bagan from a young boy, whose father was indian and mother myanmari
… we went to the thatbyinnyu temple…
… the intricate design of the domed ceiling…
and then our tanga took us to the ‘largest monument in bagan’, the dhammayanagi temple.. almost looking like an aztec pyramid…
the brickwork of this temple is so fine.. almost seamless joints, like the teliya brickwork of the malla era temples in kathmandu. it is said that the king did saphaya of all masons through whose masonry he could push through a needle.. phew!!
…a ‘neckless’ buddha inside the temple…
… baba ventured up a narrow and steep staircase to one of the windows to see if he could get a nice viewing spot for the sunset that evening…
the window from the outside…
this was indeed a beautiful structure…
our basanti’s next stop was …
… the sulamani (mani as in gem, ruby ) temple
the murals inside.. once again featuring buddha with entwined serpents in the back…
.. these temples very much ‘lived in’ with worshippers offering silent prayers…
the delicate features outside the temple…
we went through a dusty by road to scout for a place for sunset viewing…
… we finally thought the best vantage point was from the top of the shwesandaw pagoda
the beautiful blend of blue, green and ochre
… so in the evening we directed our tangawala to head towards the pagoda…
… we met colourful bayalgada ferrying tourists to monuments…
the pagoda terrace was already filling up with tourists.. all with one thing in mind.. to view sunset over bagan…
the sun was still hovering over the hills when we reached the third terrace
… its rays were being reflected by any hint of gold…
and behind us the scenery almost looked like it was a painting…
… the spires ahead of us under the full glare of the setting sun…
.. and bit shaded by my palm…
a temple at the back of us.. also spilling with tourists…
.. on our pagoda too.. the tourists capturing the sunset in their cameras
… and we all watched the sun going down…
… down…
… down…
…
…
.. and gone…
…baba watches the last rays of the sun…
as we head back to the hotel after the sunset 'show' (the tourists actually clapped when the sun went behind the hill!!).. it was fascinating to see the silhouette of the monuments and acacia trees…
back in the hotel… we had a nice new year’s eve dinner and were once again reminded that 2010 was about to leave us….
iti bagan ko bakhan
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