Bagan Images 12 images Created 10 Oct 2011
Bagan is home to the largest area of Buddhist temples, pagodas, stupas and ruins in the world with many dating from the 11th century. The shape and construction of each building is significant with each component taking on a spiritual meaning of some kind. Bagan became a central powerbase in the mid 9th century under King Anawratha, who unified Burma under Buddhism. As many as 13,000 temples and stupas once stood on this plain in Myanmar. Marco Polo once described Bagan as a "gilded city alive with tinkling bells and the swishing sounds of monks robes". 2200 remain today in various states of repair or such as the Ananda Pahto. Others are tumbledown relics in the middle of overgrown grass. Bagan's golden age ended when the Kingdom and its capital city was invaded by the Mongols.
