Myanmar - Bagan - Day 2 Part 3

After a nice sandwich, a few big bottles of water and lounging by the pool at the Tharaba Gate Hotel, I decided to continue on my little exploration around Bagan, just after lunch, under the scorching sun of the Burmese Dry Zone.

Tharaba Gate, Old Bagan

I started at Tharaba Gate itself, or what’s left of it. At its height, Bagan had an inner and outer core of a city, and the important districts lay within the walls, with the palace complex itself just behind the city gate.

The gate itself is a shadow of its former glory, having been destroyed by the Mongols, but some remnants of the main defensive walls that encircles the city and reach to the Irrawaddy River stand, though the moat is silted up, with some sections reaching as high as 5 meters. The gate can just squeeze in a modest-sized minivan.

Just within the walled city is a temple built as a replica of the one in Bodhgaya, India: the Mahabodhi Temple, built in 1215. It has striking similarities to a temple tower within the Shwedagon Pagoda complex, though arguably this was built first.

One of many 'Stations of the Buddha'

This temple contains dedicated walkways that document Gautama Buddha’s life, from a special pavement where pilgrims can pace up and down on cool marble slabs to imitate Buddha’s pacing up and down in a beautiful garden, to a small complex with a pool, which seems to have run out of water.

The Bupaya, Old Bagan

A short drive away, amidst lacquerware schools, by the river is the Bupaya, the first stupa built in Bagan. The stupa, though not as impressive as later constructions, has a setting that creates a certain impact. On the banks of the Irrawaddy River, on a small bluff, rises a big bell-shaped chunk of gold.

Makeshift quay, Bupaya, Old Bagan

Just outside, down the stairs that lead to the riverbank, is what I presume is a main quay, with boats moored on the shore, some taking tourists on a sightseeing cruise along the river or to ferry people up and down the shores. The river is quite majestic, with a small island in the bend.

Around the corner, with towering pagodas beckoning me in, the driver stopped by another great pagoda, the Gandawpalin Pagoda, this time shimmering white, looking as if the plaster was laid not too long ago, with the main stupa’s spire gilded top shining under the hot midday sun.

Gandawpalin Temple, Old Bagan

It was here where I encountered a rather interesting business model. It could have been a happy coincidence or a well-executed plan, but as I was taking pictures from the gate while walking up, a girl, looking as if she was fresh out of school, popped out of nowhere and seemed genuinely surprised and apologetic that she almost got in to my picture. She then told me of a few good spots for photos. My scam radar was pinging like no tomorrow.

'View 1' recommended, Gandawpalin Temple

This girl told me she was not a scam artist, and that she works with the temple. Fair enough, it is a free market and she did not look like your average peddler with trinkets having off her body. Yet, something didn’t feel quite right as we walked around the temple as I took pictures.

I was just waiting for her to ask something. Donation? Offers of discrete dealings? A diplomatic pass? (The latter is not too far off the mark: my face seems to say ‘UN’ or ‘diplomat’ in some countries.) It was none of the above. She asked if I wanted to buy her book.

'View 2' recommended, Gandawpalin Temple

Now that was very new. She had other things to sell but she went straight for book. After complementing her on her business acumen and language skills, I went down for a bargain. I asked for KYT 5,000 from her offer of KYT 10,000 for her copy of ‘Folk Tales of Burma’, which she agreed to, on the condition that I buy a set of postcards. I was hesitant on the postcards, until she pulled the ‘you will help my brother go to school’ card.

I decided to buy both, and she assured me her postcards are top quality and will not be easily found anywhere else in Bagan (which was true: had a hard time finding it in the other major temples). I had my own condition: explain to me how it all worked.

She told me every temple has a cooperative, which fits with her ‘work with the temple’ cover. She also told me they buy their goods from a supplier in New Bagan, and every peddler has their own niche. Some do lacquer, aiming at middle-aged European tourists, some aim book towards travellers like me, all have their market and no one intrudes.

Wishing her a good day, I complemented her on her very good grasp of English. She was a bit shy from the complement, saying the travellers she met at the temples and in Bagan taught her. I can see why she chose the extroverted complimentary guide niche in the temple.

New finishing over older wooden carvings, Thatbinyu Temple

Within the stairwell, Thatbinyu Temple looking towards Gandawpalin

From there I went to another temple across the road, the Thatbinyu Temple, and before I could react, I was ‘guided’ by a guide who did not want money (A first?). She did not have the finesse of the girl in the previous temple, but she did lead me up passageways where I could get to the terrace, view the ‘skyline’ of Bagan and explained to me the wooden panels and murals.

View, upper terrace, Gandawpalin Temple

View, upper terrace, Gandawpalin Temple

Gandawpalin Temple, Old Bagan

In return: she wanted me to buy lacquerware. I told her I have a budget, and interestingly enough, she seemed to enjoy pushing a business card case which cost less than the set of coasters I got. Told her I had more utility with the coasters than a business card case. For KYT 10,000 from the original KYT 20,000 for a set of 8 coasters with fine carvings, I was happy.

Interior bracing, Nanpaya Temple

Brahma carving, Nanpaya Temple

Next up was a lone Hindu temple, the Nanpaya Temple, amidst a sea of Buddhist temples. While the exterior is well preserved, the interior suffered structural damage from the 1975 earthquake and had to be supported by internal braces. Inside the dark cavernous hall, the beautiful murals were best seen with a flashlight, and the carvings in the central sacred space are well preserved.

There were a few other, equally impressive temples and ‘libraries’ with even more beautifully preserved murals, which sadly I cannot remember the names of for the life of me, but are still best viewed with a flashlight. The authorities seem to have either switched them all off or made it so dim, it doesn’t seem to make much difference. There were a few clusters, within close proximity to the lacquerware factories and such, and within a village, it gave a sense of what life would have been like in the day.

Interestingly, only temples built by kings, or major stupas have names. The other stupas and temples are numbered. According to my driver and multiple books on the subject, the numerous temples and stupas were built by anyone who had means. The kings, since they had the most resources, built the most lavish ones, while merchants and senior officials built their own, both for merit and paying for their upkeep and a resident clergy. The great masses of unnamed temples have a number assigned to them, catalogued by Pierre Pichard, a French architect in 1996.

Mingalazedi Stupa

Next up was the Mingalazedi Stupa, this time ungilded and in its raw red Burmese brick form. Up from the terrace, you can see the wide expanse of the Bagan Plains, this time from within the walled city, which gives a majestic dense view.

First terrace view, Mingalazedi Stupa

Here, walking along the first terrace, glazed terracotta plaques narrate the jatakas, old Buddhist stories narrating the life of Buddha and other Buddhist tales and fables. Sadly, the top two terraces were not open, as the view would have been breathtaking.

'Prime Minister's Temple'

Dhammayangi Temple, Bagan

Interior, Dhammayangi Temple

After a quick stop at another temple, the ‘Prime Minister’s Temple’ as my driver put it, we went the Dhammayangi Temple. This is the largest temple in Bagan, and because of its sheer bulk and amount of materials used in its construction, from certain angles and from a distance, it looks pretty much like an Egyptian step pyramid. Within, the corridors snake around a central sacred space, with some corridors and arches partially filled in, which only lends to legends and myth about this building.

Sulamani Temple, Bagan, note similarities to Ananda Temple

Shwesandaw Temple

Then, a short drive away, we went to the Sulamani Temple, before heading to the main sunset temple, the Shwesandaw Temple. I was informed that during the peak season, it would be hard to get a spot. Not what I experienced. As sunset was around 1730 onwards, we went there early, around 1630 for me to walk around and get a nice spot on the top terrace.

Steps along Shwesandaw Temple

It was, to put it lightly, a bit of an ascent up, somewhat steeper than the first stupa I scaled up, but with views that define Bagan. The first two terraces already had impressive views, but from the top terrace, some people were already setting camp, complete with tripods and multiple lenses. The closer it got to sunset, the more people came, but everyone had a good spot to view it.

Gandawpalin Temple on left, Ananda Temple on right

Dhammayangi Temple on left, hills in the backdrop

Up here, I could see the Bagan Plains all the way to the hills and mountains that trap in the heat. The multiple spires, temples and stupas jot out from the landscape, just begging you to imagine what it was like at its height. While Angkor has the wide landscape with a large centerpiece, Bagan has the density and feel of metropolitan majesty.

Mingalazedi and Irrawaddy River in background

Most importantly, there were no massive tour groups blocking you, the only mild annoyance was the loud but thankfully small group of Mainland Chinese tourists who went up then quickly went down. That pretty much summed up Bagan for me.