Bagan

Myanmar Bagan ancient temples of Bagan, Burma 13 January 2013
If we compare the attractions of Myanmar with a crown, an attribute of royalty, her crown, no doubt, will be the city of Bagan. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River in the dry and arid lands of the central plains of the country. Pagan or Bagan was founded in 849 AD. Just a couple of hundred years, to the beginning of the 11th century, it became the capital of the first Burmese empire, kingdom hearts huge Theravada Buddhists.

The city flourished. He became a cosmopolitan center of religious and secular life. Flocked monks from the Buddhist countries. From the distant India, Ceylon, the Khmer empire came to Bagan scholars and poets to study prosody, phonetics, grammar, astrology, alchemy, medicine, law ...
But one day, at the end of the 13th century, came to an end around. History relates the decline of the kingdom from the invading Mongols. Those of us familiar in school lessons of history that has brought great distress to their invasion of Russia. The magnificent city was sacked, abandoned and pulled his years of slow destruction.

Bagan Myanmar originally built as a wood and brick, but to this day has not reached any of the wooden building. Time, earthquakes and fires engulfed them, leaving only a brick. Bagan Burma ceased to exist, the capital was moved first in Pigna, and then - for centuries - in Ava (Inwa), near present-day Mandalay. And on the ruins of the once large city it remained only a small village.

Temples of Bagan

It is a place of temples and pagodas, mostly built from the 11th century to the 13th century, the ancient kings and rulers of Burma. Horizon is not present - from all sides are drawn up spiers - openwork pinnacles in the shape of ears of corn, pineapple. Gold and brick. And the temples themselves - brick, stone, gold. Small, large, huge. All kinds, shapes and designs, different aesthetics - here and towers, and pagodas, and giant stone bell, and structures in the shape of pumpkins. Some of them - indeed gigantic.

Many of the Bagan temples are architectural marvels of its time, but until now their greatness is the thrill of the visitors. Masonry, which does not stick a sheet of paper between the bricks, massive roof that stick to the skilful use of arches and vaults, windows, made so that the rays of sunlight fell directly on the face of massive Buddha, seated in the vaulted rooms.

Today, about half of these magnificent buildings of red brick in dire need of urgent restoration and conservation. In many temples access to the top is closed. But where you can go upstairs, past the image light focused on the sides of the Enlightened One, it offers a view of the surroundings, which is impossible to forget ... Now Bagan - a place of pilgrimage.

Weather in Bagan

Among all the other cities of Myanmar, Bagan city - an ideal place for tourists to visit, regardless of the season. In contrast to the lower part of Myanmar, there is the rainy season, so tourists all year round you can explore the ancient city.

From January to May, daytime temperatures can reach in the afternoon 40 degrees Celsius and at night - dropping to 27 degrees. At other times there is cooler, but the proximity to the tropics affects: the average temperature - 30 degrees.

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