Bagan: the city of 4,000 pagodas in Myanmar _

In the muddy waters of myanmar's main river artery, between the Ayeyarwadi River and the mountains in the central part of the country, stretches the plateau, where King Anawrahta founded the Burmese Empire and spread the Buddhist religion among its people more than a thousand years ago. The silent testimony of that era is the thousands of pagodas and monasteries, which are one of the most mysterious and spectacular places in the world. Elangkor Wat Burma will not let anyone down.

In July 2019, bagan was finally declared a World Heritage Site. Anyone who has visited the site-not env á n, which is the largest archaeological site in the world-cannot understand how it has not received such an honor for a long time, but the reason must be politically motivated, as myanmar has endured one of the longest military dictatorships in the world.

However, from an archaeological point of view, few places have the beauty and prosperity they can boast of.

Nearly 3,700 pagodas and temples were recorded in the last official count, many of them still to be discovered. The vast majority of them date back between the 10th and 12th centuries, showing important architectural differences and providing a rich artistic diversity for the whole.

If you'd like to visit the jewels of the powerful kingdom of King Anawrahta and his descendants, here's a full guide to enjoy 100% bacon.

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Un poco de historia sobre Bagan

La etnia Pyu habitaba esta zona hasta el siglo IX, cuandolos birmanos llegaron a ella. Between 1044 and 1287, it was the central nerve of the Burmese Empire, and it would become the seed of Burma.

King Anawata, the great monarch and conqueror, established power over these lands because they were strategically in a favorable position. The Ayeyarwady River and mountains exercise a natural barrier to protect it from any enemy attack.

Although Anawrahta would never impose Ramathervada's Buddhism, he would be interested in this religious trend, importing from the neighboring Mon ethnic group. So there were many symbols and icons of other religions (Hinduism, animism, etc.) in the massive construction of temples over the next 250 years, You can find them in them.

Finally, due to the progress of the Empire, it will lose its glory-it will live on its summit with about 200,000 people. It never seemed to fight for the city, but the kingdom of Burma moved its capital to the north.

Bagan: la ciudad de las 4.000 pagodas en Myanmar 📷 | Skyscanner Espana

Today, Bagan is the main tourist attraction in Myanmar, and visitors can visit the nearly 4,000 pagodas, temples and monasteries that appear in the countryside and forests of the center of Myanmar. While that is an overwhelming number, some 10,000 buildings are believed to have been built at the time, many of which have yet to be excavated.

Bagan's Hotel

How do I get to bagan

There are three main options:

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How to move on bagan

Pagodas and bagan temples cover an area of about 42 square kilometers. That is to say: huge.

In addition, there is a warning that cannot be ignored: No matter when you go to the bakery during the year, there will always be hellish warmth.

That said, there are several ways to explore bagan:

The best bagan hotel

The best pagodas and temples are seen in bagan

But let me put it bluntly: ' What does everyone fall in love with? Temples, pagodas and monasteries have resisted centuries of heavy monsoon rains, winds and frequent and powerful earthquakes that have hit the area. Is a true archaeological survivor.

As you might imagine, on such a vast surface, it is impossible to visit all the bagan temples except for a few weeks. So here are some of the best or most popular:

Shiweizigong

The spectacular golden pagoda of Shwe zi gon is one of the ancient symbols of Anawrahta. It was this king who began to build stone towers on the banks of the river and built them with sandstone.

Is one of the holiest pilgrims in myanmar, and hundreds of pilgrims from all over the country come to visit and pay tribute to her every day.

Around them, several temples were built centuries later, incorporating stories about Buddhist representatives of "nats" (the spirit of Myanmar's ancestral religion).

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Shwe san daw

By 2018, the eleventh-century temple was one of the most popular of all. The reason is simple: Its steps can rise to see sunset and sunrise, and its position is unparalleled, by the river, connected with almost all the most majestic and beautiful pagodas and temples bagan.

However, due to the damage caused by tourists to millennium buildings and some major accidents, Myanmar authorities decided to ban climbing all bagan temples. It is true that this takes some charm away from this place, but perhaps this is a necessary measure.

In order to alleviate tourists' dissatisfaction, artificial mounds were built to enjoy sunset and sunrise from high places. ! Less is nothing!

Still, the shwe san daw is a pagoda worth visiting. This is a spectacular Buddha statue lying in a small hangar glued together. It dates back to the eleventh century and is one of the most beautiful of all bagans.

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Dhammayangyi

The Dhammayangyi temple is the most extensive bagan. From the outside, it looks like the Aztec pyramid.

The history behind the pagoda Dhammayangyi is hard and creepy. It was built on the orders of King Narathu, a ruthless monarch who ascended to the throne in 1170 after murdering his father and brother. In addition, he killed his wife (a Hindu princess) because he didn't like her, and dozens of workers who were involved in building Dhammayangyi. Legend has it that the king issued a law to kill the workers who let bricks and bricks fall from the walls of the pagoda.

Finally, Narathu will be murdered by the family of his Hindu wife. Karma comes into full play.

The interior of the temple is fresh-it was created with a natural ventilation system, windows facing all levels-and sturdy. Imposed, even though it lacks the decorations possessed by other bagan temples.

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Ananda

Y uno de esos templos tan ornamentados no es otro que elde Ananda.

Ananda is a masterpiece. Built around 1090 under the orders of King Kyanzittha, who pretends to be an image on the monarch's head, tells stories about his family that some Indian monks who came to visit him told him. They live in caves in the Himalayas.

To build the Ananda Pagoda, Kyanzittha ordered to bring the best craftsmen in the kingdom. Therefore, he displayed the best ceramic carvings, murals, lime plaster, teak doors and so on.

Today it shines with absolute brilliance after recent renovations and is one of myanmar's most spectacular temples.

Bagan's Hotel

Although these are bagan's most representative temples, the fact is, there's nothing like getting lost on dirt roads and venturing into those remote little pagodas where you'll find hundreds of years of Buddha statues, beautiful murals that tell of his life, in short, a special kind of memory and spirituality, away from the hustle and bustle of mass tourism, and even, The materialist existence of our life today.

If by reading this, you've got your way into the worms of Asian destinations, here are other works to keep you happy:

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