Through My Lens

"Mingalaba" or "Nay Kaung Lar" means how are you in the burmese language.

Bagan, Myanmar Bagan formerly known as Pagan, is an ancient city in the Mandalay division of Burma. Bagan was the capital of Burma between the 11th century and the end of the 13th. Hundreds of Buddhist temples and pagodas were built in the area around the city until Pagan was overrun by the Mongols in 1287. Today, seven centuries later, approximately 2,200 temples remain standing. The river Irrawaddy has washed away nearly one-third of the original city area, thieves have torn apart many temples in search of treasures, while earthquakes and the ravages of time have reduced hundreds of others to great piles of crumbled stones.

Bagan was the highlight of my trip. With over 2000 pagodas one can only see a fraction of these beautiful monuments. I am sure every person who has been to Bagan has a different story to tell because not everyone gets to see the same temples/pagodas. Here is my documentation of this beautiful city.

There are 3 top pagodas in Bagan: Thatbyinnyu, Ananda & Shwezigon.

Thatbyinnyu
Is the tallest Bagan pagoda (high as a 17-story modern building). It is the white building in the distance.

Ananda
Temple is one of the four main temples remaining in Bagan. The temple is considered to be one of the most surviving masterpiece of the Mon architecture. Also known as the finest, largest, best preserved and most revered of the Bagan temples. During the 1975 earthquake, the temple suffered considerable damage but has been totally restored.


The Shwezigon Paya: This is the holiest of the Bagan pagodas. Its impressive gilded bell-shaped stupa houses relics of Buddha. Anawrahta was Theravada Buddhism's first major advocate in Myanmar and the first of the great builders of Bagan.


Shwezigon has a collection of relics, including the Buddha's frontal and collar bones, and an emerald Buddha image from China. Legend has it that the site of Shwezigon was chosen by a white elephant.

Young monks taking a break from their daily rituals.




I was fortunate enough to travel with my good friend Sa Sa and her family who took care of all the arrangements for us (hotels, guides, transportation etc...)

We checked into our hotel and had some burmese breakfast which consists of fried vegetable fritters, corn cakes, rice with peas, fish soup (Yes! fish soup) seasonal fruit, coffee & tea etc...

The food is tasty and everything is made fresh with fresh ingredients everyday. You can always find an outdoor/farmer's market where you can buy fresh produce.


Fresh produce. Green eggplants, bitter gourd, bottle gourd leafy greens....yum!!!! Doesn't get much better than this.

On one of our trips to a pagoda we met local burmese kids who paint their faces with tanaka. Tanaka is a paste made of a tree root that protects the skin from the sun and also has mosturizing properties. Either in the cities or in the rural areas most of the woman, children and some men wear Tanaka on their faces.




We visited atleast 50 or more pagodas and every pagoda is unique to the region.

All buddhist's bow 3 times when they visit a pagoda (not sure why?). You can see my friends, especially my friend Matt trying really hard to master how to bow. :) The guy in the beige shorts with his A$$ in the air.



The statue below was built in such a way the when you get closer, the buddha has no smile on his face and get closer he has a smile on his face!

As we were exploring the 100's of pagodas and buddha statues I happened to see local burmese (young) men playing street soccer in their loincloth.



Smile

Try playing street soccer with a gochi (gochi is an indian word for loincloth).









Bagan is truly a magical place. Every where you look you will find 100's of pagodas on either side of the road.









Sunsets were amazing in Bagan.

Thai monks! (Visitors)

Sleeping Buddha!

































There's more to Bagan than just buddhist statues and pagodas so stand by for more photos of Bagan and the people of Bagan and their lifestyle.