Temple mania

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Is it possible we just arrived in Bagan this morning?  Seriously.  The day has been so busy I feel like I’ve been here a couple.  This place is amazing.  Temples, temples and more temples with loads of stupas thrown in.  Everywhere you look there is another one; the plain the size of Manhattan has as many red-brick temples as Europe has medieval cathedrals (just to give you a sense of scale).  In its heyday, Bagan had over 4,400 temples in the 26-square mile area, the building of which only took place in only 230 years.  Anyway, it is incredible.

Background on Bagan (from Lonely Planet):

The extraordinary religious fervor that resulted in this unique collection of buildings lasted two and a half centuries.  Although human habitation at Bagan dates back almost to the beginning of the Christian era, Bagan only entered its golden period with the conquest of Thaton in AD 1057.  Bagan was already in decline by 1287 when it was overrun by the Mongols of Kubali Khan.

• Early period (c 850 – 1120): This period was influenced by Mon and late Pyu architecture and is characterized by perorated windows and dimly lit interior
• Middle period (c 1100 1170): Temples became bigger during this period and were better lit by broader windows, with more of an eye to vertical proportions than horizontal lines
• Late period (c 1170-1300): The late period saw more intricate pyramidical spires or adorning tile work added to the buildings, with an increase of Indian influence, and (some say) a seeping in of Mahayana Buddhism influence

We had a 6:45am flight, which meant another 3:45 wake-up call and breakfast box.  When we arrived at the airport, J.P. sat us down and went off with Tina to deal with our tickets and bags.  After saying goodbye to Tina, the only thing we had to do was go through security.  Guess that’s the nice thing about being on a tour.

We were on one of those smaller planes, 4 per row, where you board from the back.  I sat next to J.P. and got to pick his brain a bit on South America.  Just before landing, we could see the temples of Bagan through the plane window.  The drive to Thante Hotel gave an introduction to the incredible scale of this place.

Subsequent to checking in, we drove to Nyaung U market for some optional shopping among the locals.  I couldn’t believe how many children approached us when we stepped off the bus.  The market had tons of stalls, there was an area selling fruit and vegetables, meat or fish, lacquer ware and other souvenirs, or clothing and shampoo the list goes on, but in general it was just a lot of stuff.  I still wonder how all these people make a living.  Once we left the market, it was temple time.

The temples were amazing, but the numerous vendors outside each one, many selling the same goods, got tiring.  Time after time I had to say no to young children trying to sell postcards and souvenirs.  Eventually, I bought a pack of postcards from one kid and some bracelets from another. 

Our guide, in broken, somewhat hard-to-understand English, told us copious amounts of information at each temple.  I found it interesting, although I don’t remember most of it now having seen so many temples, but most people in my group felt it was excessive.  While the current state of the temples is impressive, it is hard to imagine how the plain looked back in 1200 when all of the brickwork was covered by stone design and the inside walls were coated in murals.  (I’ve listed the temples we visited below and have included some information from Lonely Planet to give a bit more color to the area.  It’s so vast and after a while, all the pictures and temples start to look similar.)

At the first temple, we climbed the outside stairs to get our first somewhat aerial view of the area.  Spectacular; I think I could see at least 30 temples nearby and hundreds more in the distance.  I took a photo of the girl who pestered me into buying postcards.  Our next stop was a big paya which Shwedagon Paya in Yangon was based on.  After two more temples, we stopped at Shwe Myanmar for lunch, where we were served a collection of Myanmar dishes.  I especially enjoyed the long beans in peanut sauce.  From lunch we were taken to a lacquer ware workshop to see the process from bamboo pieces to painted artwork.  I purchased two small bowls to use as candy dishes.

Even though some of the group was tired, we pressed on; I was anxious to take advantage of our free guide and transport.  At some point, the driver took Donna back to the hotel since she’d had enough.  The rest of us visited seven more temples to pass the day until sunset, which we spent on the top of Dhammayazika.  It was a gorgeous setting, but a patch of clouds blocked the sun dipping below the horizon. 

Arrived back at hotel around 6:30 and met for dinner at 7:45pm.  J.P. found a restaurant, but it required horse carts, of which he ordered three, since it was slightly too far to walk.  It was a pleasant ride but too dark to see anything.  J.P.’s Myanmar contact, Mae Soe, who he met last time he visited Bagan, joined us for an Indian meal at Aroma restaurant while Ros and Jacek stayed back.  After ordering it took about an hour to get our food and everyone was hungry, tired, and annoyed for having to wait so long.  We were served on banana leafs with five side dips.  I had my go-to chicken tikka; it was tasty, but not that hot and not really worth the wait.  Our horse cart drivers sat and waited until we finished dinner.

Tomorrow is a free day, so I’m going to explore on my own in a horse cart.  Everyone else is joining J.P. for a trip to Mount Popa, but I feel like I need more time to explore Bagan. 

Temples we visited:

1. Bulethee (Buledi) stupa (for view)
2. Shwezigon Paya – This big and beautiful zedi is the town’s main religious site, and is most famous for its link with the 37 nat.  The gilded zedi sits on three rising terraces.  Enameled plaques in panels around the base of the zedi illustrate scenes from the Jataka.  At the cardinal points, facing the terrace stairways, are four shrines, each of which houses a 13ft-high bronze standing buddha.  Gupta-inspired and cast in 1102, these are Bagan’s largest surviving bronze buddhas.  A four-inch circular indentation in a stone slab was filled with water to allow former Myanmar monarchs to look at the reflection of the hti (an umbrella like decorated pinnacle) without tipping their heads backwards (which might have caused them to lose their crowns).  The most important site here is the small yellow compound called 37 Nat (in English) on the southeast side of the site.  Inside are figures of all the 37 pre-Buddhist nat that were officially endorsed by Bamar monarchy in a compromising gesture towards a public reluctant to give up all their beliefs for Buddhism.  At one end stands an original figure of Thagyamin, king of the nat and a direct appropriation of the Hindu god Indra.  This is the oldest known freestanding Thagyamin figure in Myanmar.  The site was started by Anawrahta but not completed until the reign of Kyanzittha.
3. Wetkyi-in-Gubyaukgyi – This detailed 13^th-centry temple has an Indian-style spire.  It is interesting for the fine frescoes of scenes from the Jataka but, unfortunately, in 1899 a German collector came by and surreptitiously removed many of the panels on which the frescos were painted.  Those that remain in the entry are in great shape.  Steps inside lead to four Buddha images and you can see Hindu figures engraved on the spire.
4. Htilominlo Pahto – This 150ft-high temple (built in 1218) marks the spot where King Nantaungmya was chosen (by a leaning umbrella), amongst five brothers, to be the crown prince.  It’s more impressive from the outside, with its terraced design.  Around the 140 square-foot base are fragments of the original fine plaster carvings, glazed sandstone decorations and nicely carved reliefs on the doorways.  Inside traces of old murals are still visible.
5. Lunch and  Utun Lacquer ware shop break
6. Nan Paya – This shrine is said to have been used as Manuha’s prison, although there is little evidence supporting the legend.  In this story the shrine was originally Hindu, and captors thought using it as a prison would be easier than converting it to a Buddhist temple.  It’s worth visiting for its interior masonry work – sandstone block facings over a brick core, some of Bagan’s finest detailed sculpture.  Perforated stone windows are typical of earlier Bagan architecture –it was probably Bagan’s first gu-style shrine.  In the central sanctuary the four stone pillars have finely carved sandstone bas-relief figures of three-faced Brahma.  The creator deity is holding lotus flowers, thought to be offerings to a freestanding Buddha image once situated in the shrines centre, a theory that dispels the idea that this was ever a Hindu shrine.  The sides of the pillars feature ogrelike kala-ate heads with open mouths streaming with flowers.  Legend goes that Shiva employed such creatures to protect temples, but they proved too ferocious so Shiva tricked them into eating their bodies, then fed them flowers to keep their minds off snacking on worshippers.  In the center of the four pillars is an altar, on which once stood a standing Buddha or a Hindu god.
7. Manuha Paya – Pagoda named after the Mon king from Thaton, who was once held captive here by King Anawrahta.  In the front of the building are three seated buddhas; in the back is a huge reclining Buddha.  All seem too large for their enclosures – supposedly representing the stress and discomfort the king had to endure.  It is said that only the reclining Buddha, in the act of entering parinib-bana (final passing away), has a smile on its face, showing that for Manuha, only death was a release from his suffering.  However, the face of the sitting Buddha on the top of the paya has an equally gigantic smile.
8. Dhammayangyi Pahto – Visible from all parts of Bagan, this massive, walled, 12^th century temple is known locally as a ‘bad luck temple’.  Some believe this is because of the ruthless king Narathu who mandated that the mortarless brickwork fit together so tightly that even a pin couldn’t pass between any two bricks.  After he died – by assassination in 1170 – the inner encircling ambulatory was filled with brick rubble – as ‘payback’, most say.  The plan has projecting porticoes and receding terraces, though its sikhara is reduced to a stub nowadays.  Walking around the outer ambulatory, under ceilings so high you can only hear the squeaks of bats circling in the dark, you can see some intact stucco reliefs and paintings, suggesting the work had been completed.  Three out of the four Buddha sanctums were also filled with bricks.  The remaining western shrine features two original side-by-side images of Gautama and Maitreya, the historical and future buddhas (it’s the only Bagan site with two side-by-side buddhas).
9. Thatbyinnyu Pahto (aka Minyeinkore) – Named for ‘omniscience’, Bagan’s highest temple is built of two white-colored boxy stories, each with three diminishing terraces rimmed with spires and leading to a gold-tipped sikhara, 207ft up.  Its monumental size and verticality make it a classic example of Bagan’s middle period – and neatly provide a chronological link between early-period Ananda and late-period Gawadpalin.  Built in 1144 by Alaungsithu, its terraces are encircled by indentations for 539 Jataka.  Plaques were never added, leading some scholars to surmise that the monument was never consecrated.
10. Lokahteikpann temple (Lawkahteikpan) – a small but interesting middle-period gu containing excellent frescoes and inscriptions in both Burmese and Mon.
11. Unknown temple for views
12. Dhammayazika Paya (sunset) – This pentagonal zedi is similar to the Shwezigon but with a more unusual design.  Sitting in lush green grounds with a gilded bell, the Dhammayazika dates from 1196.  An outer wall has five gateways.  Up top, five small temples, each containing a Buddha image, encircle the terraces; some of them bear interior murals added during the Konbaung era.