Travel Day 1144 – Bagan, MYANMAR
Seeing all the temples of Bagan inside and out was definitely an amazing experience, but they were actually also impressive at night…
Thatbyinnyu Temple during Sunset in Bagan, Myanmar
By now I had spent four days in Bagan, exploring all the temples, and if time would have permitted, it would have been nice to stay even longer. But there was obviously a whole lot more to see in Myanmar. For the purpose of fully arriving, settling-in and getting used to the flow of this somewhat strange country, Bagan was definitely a great place. Besides that, taking the time and exploring all the temples and stupas bit by bit, without any rush, had definitely paid off…
So today I finally pedaled down the back road towards New Bagan and explored the remaining temples along the way. Many of them I had seen already from the distance and others were little unexpected surprises. The heat of the day was still oppressive, but at least the past two days had been completely dry, allowing me to fully use the daytime for the temple explorations. By the evening then I finally arrived at the big Shwesandaw Paya which was famous for its sunset views…
Mayazedi Stupa in cloudy Full Moon Night in Bagan, Myanmar
As with all famous temples and stupas in Bagan, this big Paya came with busloads of tourists, but because of its size and multi level terraces it was still possible to get some space and even good views. So far I had tried to climb a different temple every time the sun was starting to set. This not only allowed me to enjoy a different angle of the surrounding temples, but also the sunset views were unique every time the night was slowly taking over…
Since Old Bagan was pretty close to Shwesandaw Paya, there happened to be some fine sunset views of the Thatbyinnyu Temple which was being lit-up in warm colors as the surrounding area was slowly getting darker. Actually only some of the many temples seemed to be lit-up at night, but at least the golden stupas that were scattered around also enjoyed a nightly glow in the darkness. Two of these stupas I had visited after sunset during the last couple of days…
Lit-up Shwezigon Paya at Night in Bagan, Myanmar
One stupa was the golden Mayazedi which I coincidentally visited during a cloudy full moon night when not only the stupa but also the sky seemed to glow in the shine of the bright moon. The other stupa I visited was the big Shwezigon Paya which was considered the most important religious site in Bagan. This big terraced stupa was especially beautiful to visit after sunset when it was possible to enjoy the calm of the place while doing some circumvallations…
The golden glowing Shwezigon Paya was known for its connection to the Nats, animist spirits that pre-dated Buddhism in Myanmar, and even today they seemed to somehow co-exist in the local culture. Being not too concerned about any nat, visiting the lit-up temples and especially the golden stupas at night, was definitely a perfect way to end a hot and sweaty day in Bagan…
Find all Bagan Photos here.
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