Discover
Discover
Bagan lies on the central plain of Myanmar, on a bend of the Ayeyarwady River. The World Heritage property holds 3,595 recorded monuments, from stupas and temples to monasteries, along with inscriptions, murals and sculptures. What makes Bagan remarkable is not only the number of buildings but the whole sacred landscape, where shrines and everyday life still share the same ground.
History
History
Between the 11th and 13th centuries, Bagan was the capital of a regional empire whose control of river transport carried its influence far. Building a temple was the greatest act of merit of the age, and the king acted as the chief donor. Construction grew rapidly and peaked in the 13th century.
People & Culture
People & Culture
At Bagan's heart is the Theravada Buddhist practice of merit making: donors built stupas hoping the merit would benefit them and their families. That devotion took shape in buildings of every size, from small stupas to great temples painted inside with Jataka tales and scenes from the life of the Buddha. In our reading, Bagan is a record of faith written in brick, stucco and paint.
Living Heritage
Living Heritage
UNESCO counts worship, merit making, local traditions and farming among Bagan's intangible values. People still come to pray and hold festivals at the temples, and surrounding villages farm among the monuments. The main challenges are pressure from tourism and development and natural hazards, as the damage from the 2016 earthquake showed.
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