Bagan, Myanmar

Bagan today, in reality, is little more than an archaeological site far less known than the Angkor complex in Cambodia, in part because of the restrictions long imposed on tourists by Myanmar’s military government. Yet it is every bit the equal of the Khmer temple-region for its historic and archaeological significance. This short essay provides a brief introduction to the historic regions and its architecture. Succeeding sections on this site feature a precious few of its major temples and stupas.

‘Bagan’, incidentally, is the closest approximation to the Burmese usage and is now the officially preferred transliteration. During their period of colonial dominance the British spelled it ‘Pagan,’ and that name is still commonly used. There is, however, no consistent system of transliteration of the Myanmar languages into English. While ‘Bagan’ is now preferred, both spellings are still used even, sometimes, on English boards at the same temple site!

The Bagan Archaeological Zone is the formal name used to designate the historic region of the ancient Kingdom of Bagan. It has been suggested that perhaps over 13,000 temples, pagodas and other religious structures originally were built in this 26 sq. mile (42 sq. k.) area during the height of the kingdom between the 11th and 13th centuries. The region clearly stands with Angkor and Borobudur among the most significant archeological sites of Southeast Asia and indeed of the world. It has recently been nominated for World Heritage Site status.