VI
EN
At four in the morning, Bagan was still pitch black, so I quickly found a horse-drawn carriage for a temple tour from dawn to dusk. Bagan was once the capital of the ancient Pagan Kingdom, with over 14,000 terracotta temples. Through historical events and earthquakes, only about 2,000 temples remain today, nestled in the shade of fragrant Nim and Arabica trees.
The sunrise in Bagan is as beautiful as a fairy tale.
Eager to witness the breathtaking sunrise in the fairytale land of Bagan, I urged the horseman to speed up the carriage towards the Shwe-san-daw temple. Climbing the steep stone steps, I was exhausted before finally reaching the ideal spot near the top of the pagoda. I arrived before dawn, but was surprised to see a large crowd of tourists already gathered. Each person had found a good spot facing east, their cameras ready to capture the Bagan sunrise. It was difficult for me to find a relatively good vantage point alongside the professional photographers.
The first rays of light gradually appeared on the horizon at six o'clock in the morning. The sunrise in Bagan is different from other places, as it exudes a wild and mystical beauty. The entire Bagan landscape becomes hazy, with thousands of temple spires of all sizes faintly visible in the distance – an incredibly impressive sight. A Japanese tourist used pen and paper to sketch the sunrise, capturing each spire and the trees. Indeed, the sunrise in Bagan is like a fairy tale!
THE CLAY TEMPLES: BAGAN'S UNIQUE HERITAGE
As the sun rose higher, Bagan was bathed in intense sunlight and scorching heat. To show reverence before entering the main halls of the temples, people had to remove their shoes, sandals, and socks. Under the blazing summer sun, the temples, made of fired stone, and the vast temple courtyards stretching for hundreds of meters absorbed the heat, seemingly challenging the bare feet of Buddhist devotees and tourists alike. However, this difficulty did not deter travelers from afar, as the beautiful scenery and the historical significance of the temples stimulated my desire to explore, as well as that of many other visitors.
The clanging and clattering of horse-drawn carriages on the dusty, narrow paths brought me to a halt before the most famous Ananda Stone Temple in the region. This renowned temple boasts magnificent architecture and colossal Buddha statues. Built of cool stone in 1105, it symbolizes the boundless wisdom of Buddha, featuring a cruciform structure with a central cube and standing Buddha statues on each side.
The outer walls feature mosaics made of polished, colored ceramic tiles, illustrating scenes from the Jataka tales. On all four sides of the temple stand four six-meter-tall wooden Buddha statues, each with a distinct expression. The people of Bagan believe that the varying expressions of the Buddhas will help people become more mindful of their actions both inside and outside the temple.
I asked the horseman to take me to the prominent Mahabodhi Temple, which has a name and architecture very similar to the original Bodhigaya Temple in India. This temple exists because the Bodhigaya Temple in India was destroyed, and the Buddhist leaders of Bagan sent a group of artisans to help rebuild it. Upon returning to Myanmar, these artisans constructed the temple based on the original Indian version.
Mahabodhi has two levels: a base and a tower. The base houses a spacious Buddhist shrine, distinguished from other temples by its gilded doors secured by a steel lock specially made for the Queen of England. Around the shrine are numerous small niches, each containing a Buddha statue, totaling 465 statues. The tower has four sides adorned with hundreds of bas-reliefs depicting the life of the Buddha.
As the evening sun cast its golden light over every road and temple, it was time for me to leave Bagan. Closing the chapter on this legendary land of Bagan, I embark on new journeys to other destinations in Myanmar. Goodbye Bagan, see you again someday!
