After 14 hours on a bus we were keen for the fresh air of Bagan so we chose our modes of transport accordingly…horse drawn cart and bicycle. We struck it lucky when we discovered our horse was called Rambo. He lived up to his name too, overtaking other carts on the road.
From as early as 1057 there was a flurry of building by the Kings of Bagan. This continued for more then 200 years, resulting in more than 4000 temples & pagodas of all shapes & sizes being constructed. Since then many have decayed to an terrible state, either due to earthquakes or lack of attention, but many internationally funded projects are working on rebuilding them.
With literally thousands of temples to choose from (you can visit around 3500 of them) we had to narrow it down.
We did a few of the major temples – Anando Pahto, Thatbyinnyu, Manuha Paya and Nan Paya – as well as many small less touristy ones. These were often my favourite. What to do if a temple you want to see if closed? Find the keykeeper obviously! These people are entrusted by the government to look after the temple and tell it’s story. And they do a great job. Unlike the Temples of Angkor, you can easily get around here and see very few other tourists. That means you get the keykeepers stories all to yourself. At sunset we sat on top of Buledi and watched the sun go down. Incredible views.
Highly recommend both the horse-cart and bike as means of travel. Everything is fairly close, though we probably rode close to 20kms. And exploring on bikes meant we got to choose the temples we wanted to see. Saw some beautiful sandstone carvings and murals inside temples that are slightly off the beaten track (I kept an eye out for spies – see previous post) and anytime we were slightly lost we just asked a local.
Saw a temple that is one of the most famous, as it was built by a king who killed both his father and brother to claim power, then killed his wife as he believed she was practicing Hinduism. He then built a massive pagoda (Dhammayangyi Pahto) which no one is keen to restore due to bad khama. It was one of the best, as it was in original condition. Our 10 year old tour guide told us all about it, including where the king would chop of the hands of disobedient subjects. Ouch!
