BAGAN PAGODA HOPPING TRIP - DHAMAYAN GYI TEMPLE

15th DECEMBER 2019 ~ This was the temple which had a very interesting story behind it. Being the largest temple on the plain of Bagan, Dhamayan Gyi Temple's construction was never actually completed. The temple was built by King Narathu who only became a successor to the throne after killing both his father and brother. He built the holy building to seek forgiveness for his past sins. Legend has it that he was either murdered as a revenge after King Narathu killed one of his wives, or he was killed by invaders from Sri Lanka.

As usual there were Buddhist statues in the temple. However, the dark and damp corridors were quite eerie for me.

Built in 1170, we just hope that the temple could resist the weather and cruel nature so that the coming generation could see the structure and learn the value from tragic story behind it.


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STOPPING BY AT A CRAFTS SHOP IN BAGAN

15th DECEMBER 2019 ~ For a short break in between the pagoda hopping trip, Mr. Ye Ye, our guide, took us to this one crafts shop in town. We we first welcomed into the workplace where we could see people were carrying out their work.

I was trying not to attract the workers' attention, taking their photos. I don't think it would be a pleasant experience, being observed by strangers all the time while one was trying to earn some money.

The main product of this shop was lacquer ware. Most probably Bagan was renowned for its high quality local lacquer ware handicrafts.

This person was someone who owns the family business. He was there to give us a short briefing on his shop and the items that were sold there.

Then we went into the souvenir shop and there were varieties of colourful items on sale. Unfortunately, visitors were not allowed to take photos inside the shop. We went out empty-handed because as the shop was primarily for (rich) tourists, so the prices of the souvenirs on display were a bit too high for me. You could always get some traditional souvenirs to take home from Bagan and there were also many other shops producing and selling similar items.

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BAGAN PAGODA HOPPING TRIP - ANANDA PHAYA PAGODA

15th DECEMBER 2019 ~ The next pagoda visited was Ananda Phaya. There were just too many pagodas and getting a tour guide was something I would recommend even though you could save a lot of money just by exploring the place on your own by renting an e-scooter. First, you would not know which would be the significant pagodas to go to and second, it was not easy to navigate the roads in Bagan as there was no proper signage.

Here are some interesting facts about the pagoda from the Internet:

• Ananda Phaya was built in 1105 A.D.
  It is believed that the pagoda was built by Indians as the characteristics of Indian architecture was apparent.
• There were four Buddha statues overlooking the four sides: east, west, north and south. [many pagodas have this actually]
• The pagoda was badly damaged in the 1975's earthquake but was then restored.

Our guide was telling us to see the reflection of the pagoda on a pond nearby and he was really determined to show us just that. However I could not really recall the significance of doing this.

Have you ever wondered how did people of the past manage to build mega structures when there was not much technology and everything had to be done manually? And many of these structures are still existing up until now.

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BAGAN PAGODA HOPPING TRIP - A CLUSTER OF OLD AND SMALLER TEMPLES

a small kid trying to sell a self-made postcard

15th DECEMBER 2019 ~ Between the 11th and 13th century, there were about 4466 Buddhist temples and pagodas in Bagan. However, after the many earthquakes that happened in the distant and recent past, there are now only 2229 remain. Hence Bagan was given the nickname "Land of a Thousand Pagodas".

We went to this site which accommodated a cluster of old and small temples and pagodas and some were already tilted. I am not really certain of the exact name of this spot. People of the past built temples and pagodas to worship gods and to show their devotion. The richer citizens built bigger and grander temples. I guess common people would have to be satisfied with simpler and smaller ones.

Why was the structures looked like they were about to collapse? This was the effects of the massive earthquake that took place in Bagan.

So what is the difference between a temple and a pagoda (or stupa)? A temple is a building where people could go and stay inside, while a pagoda is usually solid with no entrance and it often houses important relics or preserved body parts of Buddha and other Buddhist figures.

I just wonder how much longer all these temples and stupas could last if there were more earthquakes in the future.

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