lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

156TEMPLES OF BAGAN THE TEMPLESInside you’ll find fine stucco carvings, ateak buddha and stone slabs that retell (inPali) its history, including that it took justseven months to build. Missing from thescripts are details of its builder’s demise –Alaungsithu’s son brought his sick fatherhere in 1163 to smother him to death.Pitaka TaikBUDDHIST LIBRARYpi$kt'tiuk'Following the sacking of Thaton, KingAnawrahta is said to have carted off some30 elephant-loads of Buddhist scriptures in1058 and built this library (just northeast ofShwegugyi) to house them. The square designfollows the basic early Bagan gu (cavetemple) plan, perfect for the preservationof light-sensitive palm-leaf scriptures. It’snotable for the perforated stone windows,each carved from single stone slabs, and theplaster carvings on the roof, which imitateMyanmar woodcarvings.Tharabar GateARCHAEOLOGICAL SITEsrp:t®x:"Do stop on the east side of this former entranceof the original palace site. On eitherside of the arched gateway are two niches,home not to buddha images but to natwho guard the gate and who are treatedwith profound respect by locals. To the leftis Lady Golden Face, and to the right herbrother Lord Handsome.Like most nat, Tharabar Gate’s twosomehad a tragic history. A king married LadyGolden Face to lure her brother Lord Handsome,whom he feared, out of hiding. Whenthe king had Handsome burned at the stake,his sister jumped in too; only her face wassaved from the fire.Superstitious locals don’t venturethrough the gate by motorbike, car or horsecart without first paying a one-time offeringto the nat (usually a bunch of bananas anda couple of coconuts) to ensure protectionagainst traffic accidents. Don’t worry: bicyclesare OK, blessing-free.The gate is the best-preserved remains ofthe 9th-century wall, and the only gate stillstanding. Traces of old stucco can still beseen on the gateway.A number of restaurants are past the formermoat, about 220yd east.Mahabodhi PayaBUDDHIST TEMPLEmh;eb;/i.ur;"Unlike any other Bagan temple, this monument,located on the north side of the mainroad 380yd west of the gate, is modelled afterthe famous Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya,India, which commemorates the spotwhere the Buddha attained enlightenment.Built during the reign of Nantaungmya in1215, the temple’s unusual pyramidal spire isrichly coated in niches enclosing seated buddhafigures, rising from a square block. Thestairway to the top is closed.Inside is a modern makeover – with tilefloor and carpet. The ruined buildings justnorth feature some original glazed paintingfragments.BupayaBUDDHIST TEMPLEbU".ur;"On the bank of the Ayeyarwady (reachedfrom the Nyaung U road, about 220yd northwestof the Mahabodhi Paya), this cylindricalPyu-style stupa, named for bu (gourd), is saidto date back to the 3rd century, further thanany Bagan temple. Most likely it was erectedaround the same time as the city walls(around 850). What’s seen now – a gold stupaabove a row of crenulated terraces leadingdown to the water – is a reconstruction; the1975 earthquake demolished the original.Off the road to the southeast is thePebinkyaung Paya, a 12th-century pagodabuilt in a unique Sinhalese style.North PlainThe bulk of Bagan temples are scatteredacross the vast northern plain between NyaungU, Old Bagan and New Bagan. Thisbroad area runs between the Old Baganwalls and Nyaung U, and (mostly) betweenthe two roads that connect the two. Sightsare ordered (more or less) west to east.Ananda PahtoBUDDHIST TEMPLEa;nNÌ;puqiu"With its shimmering gold, 170ft-high, corncobhti shimmering across the plains, Anandais one of the finest, largest, best preservedand most revered of all Bagan souvenirstands, ur, we mean temples. Hawkers sellingbooks, postcards and oil paintings surelyknow you’ll be making it to this lovely terracedtemple, but that shouldn’t dissuadeyou from going.It’s roughly 490yd east of Thatbyinnyu,550yd north of Shwesandaw and 1090ydnorthwest of Dhammayangyi Pahto. Most visitorsaccess it from the northern side – wherethe highest concentration of hawkers are. Fora quieter approach, enter from the east side.