Rise and fall of one of Asia’s most powerful empires
The Bagan archaeological zone is one of the largest and most important historical sites in South East Asia. It is located in the dry zone of Central Burma, on the East bank of the Irrawaddy River.
Settlement of the Bagan area most likely started halfway through the 9th century. Over the next two centuries settled area gradually extended until the year 1044 King Anawrahta founded the Bagan Kingdom. At that time the Kingdom included still a relatively small area where people were mainly involved in farming.
As Bagan is located in the dry zone of Burma, the area receives little rain and is dependent on irrigation for farming. The Bagan people managed to develop and improve water management systems to irrigate the land. They built a system of dams, waterways and sluices which enabled them to cultivate dry land and turn it into farmland. This ability allowed them to expand into the dry desert-like area, which attracted more people, thus expanding the Kingdom.
King Anawrahta’s conversion to Buddhism
At that time Buddhism did not yet play an important role in the country. King Anawrahta was converted to Theravada Buddhism by a monk named Shin Arahan from the Thaton Kingdom, one of the Mon Kingdoms that existed in Burma at the time. The King decided to spread Buddhism and started a massive campaign to build thousands of Buddhist temples, pagodas and other monuments.
Invasion of the Thaton Kingdom
In the year 1057 King Anawrahta invaded the Thaton Kingdom. After the invasion of the Tripitaka, the sacred Buddhist scriptures containing the teachings of the Buddha were brought back to Bagan.
A large number of architects, builders and artisans from Thaton were also brought over to Bagan, who worked on the design and construction of thousands of Buddhist temples and pagodas. This was the time that the temple building began on a massive scale. Much of the empire’s wealth was used for the construction of Buddhist monuments. King Anawrahta who ruled Bagan from 1044 until 1077 had several impressive temples built, including the Shwezigon pagoda and the Shwesandaw pagoda.
Expansion of the empire and massive temple building
Over the next centuries, thousands of temples and pagodas were built by Royals as well as prosperous inhabitants of the city to gain religious merit. Bagan became an important centre for Theravada Buddhism and study and attracted monks from far away countries. More than 10,000 temples and monuments were built at the height of the Kingdom’s power between the 11th and 13th centuries.
King Anawrahta’s successors further expanded the Kingdom; according to several sources the empire reached as far as parts of present-day Thailand.
The empire experienced prosperous times, mainly based on agriculture. During the Kingdom’s most powerful period from the end of the 12th century until the mid 13th century, Bagan had up to 2 million inhabitants. At that time Bagan and the Khmer empire of present-day Cambodia were the most powerful empires in South East Asia.
Present-day Bagan
Of the well over 10,000 monuments built some 2,200 remains today. The structures still standing are built of brick, while the wooden buildings like the Palace and the houses have not survived. The remaining temples and pagodas are in various states of repair, some very well maintained and restored, while others are neglected and overgrown with vegetation. UNESCO has placed the Bagan archaeological zone on its tentative list for consideration as a future World Heritage Site.
Scorched sandstone greets you in Bagan, a plateau of Buddhist peaks rising above the southern banks of The Irrawaddy.
Thousands of pagodas and shrines spill out in every direction. At first, it’s baffling, such religious abundance punctuated by the odd lonely palm. Even after a full day exploring you will struggle to make sense of Bagan’s scale, how so many exquisite structures have been isolated by time.
There are literally thousands and visiting them all would take the best part of a year.
It’s destinations like Bagan that illustrate the importance of a good local guide. You will sidestep the tour buses and explore the most famous pagodas when they are quiet. Meeting monks you will savour the spirituality that permeates through walls.
Fables and fictions accompany each structure, sometimes told through the monks you meet. Most of the pagodas don’t have names, only numbers, yet their craftsmanship is masterful.
And as sunset arrives you will not stand on a famous “sunset” temple. You will be virtually alone on a 12th-century masterpiece with an incredible view over the dusty plains.