19.6.11
Pagan, the thousand pagodas plain Myanmar
Pagan (also called Bagan), located some 425 miles (680 Km) north of Yangon in Myanmar (Burma), is one of the famous religious places in the world. Over 2000 temples, pagodas , stupas and shrines located in this ancient city were designed , built and decorated by master craftsmen in 11-13 AD.
More than a thousand years ago, Pagan was the capital of northern Burma. Between the ninth and thirteenth centuries, in a burst of religious fervor, Pagan's rulers had thousands of temples, pagodas, kyaungs and other religious monuments constructed. It's believed that more than 13,000 structures once occupied the Pagan plain.
Today, the remains of more than 2,000 of Pagan's pagodas and temples form the greatest assemblage of Buddhist monuments in the world. Pagan is a religious and archaeological marvel, and some would say it's "a wonder of the ancient World." The temples stretch for eight miles along the bank of the Ayeyarwady River and for about two miles inland. At some points the ruins are so dense that it's often described as a place where it's impossible to move without touching something sacred.
Between about 500 and 950, people of the Burman ethnic group had been infiltrating from the north into a region occupied by other peoples; these people already had been converted to Indian religion, especially the Mahayana Buddhism of Bihar and Bengal. Under King Anawrahta (reigned 1044-77), the ethnic Burmans finally conquered the other peoples of the region, including a people called the Mon, who were previously dominant in the south.
More than a thousand years ago, Pagan was the capital of northern Burma. Between the ninth and thirteenth centuries, in a burst of religious fervor, Pagan's rulers had thousands of temples, pagodas, kyaungs and other religious monuments constructed. It's believed that more than 13,000 structures once occupied the Pagan plain.
Today, the remains of more than 2,000 of Pagan's pagodas and temples form the greatest assemblage of Buddhist monuments in the world. Pagan is a religious and archaeological marvel, and some would say it's "a wonder of the ancient World." The temples stretch for eight miles along the bank of the Ayeyarwady River and for about two miles inland. At some points the ruins are so dense that it's often described as a place where it's impossible to move without touching something sacred.
Between about 500 and 950, people of the Burman ethnic group had been infiltrating from the north into a region occupied by other peoples; these people already had been converted to Indian religion, especially the Mahayana Buddhism of Bihar and Bengal. Under King Anawrahta (reigned 1044-77), the ethnic Burmans finally conquered the other peoples of the region, including a people called the Mon, who were previously dominant in the south.
Pagan, the thousand pagodas plain
Pagan, the thousand pagodas plain
Pagan, the thousand pagodas plain
Pagan, the thousand pagodas plain
Pagan, the thousand pagodas plain
Pagan, the thousand pagodas plain
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