Myanmar

Bagan

WHS Score 4.44 Votes 65 Average 4.7

Bagan is a landscape of monumental Buddhist architecture, covering almost 3,600 stupas, temples, monasteries and associated structures.

The site represents the core of the largest Buddhist empire of its time (11-13th centuries). The city, located on a bend in the Ayeyarwady River, was the capital of the Bagan Kingdom that unified the regions that would later constitute Myanmar. It is still in active religious use and is especially related to the practice of merit-making.

Community Perspective: this awe-inspiring site takes days to explore, especially to visit the numerous smaller structures. Solivagant visited the site 1977 and 2012, and compares the two experiences. Els reports from a much more touristy period (2015).

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Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Bagan Archaeological Area and Monuments (ID: 1588)
Country
Myanmar
Status
Inscribed 2019 Site history
History of Bagan
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • iii
  • iv
  • vi
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
News Article
  • May 15, 2023 irrawaddy.com — Cyclone Mocha Leaves Parts of Myanmar’s Ancient City Bagan Flooded
  • April 8, 2023 newsgram.com — Myanmar to restore mural paintings
  • April 22, 2022 irrawaddy.com — Rare Sculptures Stolen From Bagan
  • Oct. 20, 2021 irrawaddy.com — Fourteen pagodas in Bagan, Myanmar’s temple city, have been damaged by heavy rain
  • July 7, 2020 courthousenews.com — Looters Target Myanmar Temple Treasures in Tourist Slump
  • June 11, 2020 irrawaddy.com — Arson at Ancient Temple in Myanmar World Heritage Site Prompts Questions Over Security
  • April 3, 2020 buddhistdoor.net — Archaeological Survey of India Begins Restoring Five Buddhist Pagodas in Bagan
  • July 28, 2019 mizzima.com — Tourists disappointed with the closing of temples in Bagan
  • Oct. 12, 2018 mmtimes.com — Bagan committee, conservationists tussle over direction of heritage zone
  • May 28, 2018 mmtimes.com — Officials to reopen some Bagan pagodas to climbing tourists
  • March 6, 2018 irrawaddy.com — Bagan Temple Damaged in August Earthquake Collapses
  • Nov. 22, 2017 irrawaddy.com — Govt Plans to Relocate Hotels From Bagan Archeological Zone
  • Sept. 26, 2016 bangkokpost.com — Bagan 'very likely' to make World Heritage list after quake
  • Aug. 24, 2016 bangkokpost.com — Myanmar earthquake damages famed Bagan temples
  • Aug. 2, 2016 mmtimes.com — Bagan to bid for heritage status in 2018
  • Feb. 24, 2016 telegraph.co.uk — Tourists in Burma banned from climbing Bagan pagodas following 'disgraceful' behaviour
  • Jan. 19, 2016 frontiermyanmar.net — Bagan inventory reveals new pagodas
  • Dec. 16, 2015 mmtimes.com — Bagan hotels in limbo as government blocks licences
  • June 29, 2015 nationmultimedia.com — Bagan waits for Unesco nod
  • Oct. 21, 2014 irrawaddy.org — Bagan Entry Fee to Rise by One-Third
  • March 22, 2014 dvb.no — New hotels banned in ancient Bagan
  • March 3, 2014 mmtimes.com — New UNESCO approach for Bagan
  • Sept. 29, 2013 elevenmyanmar.com — UNESCO offer help to draw Master Plan for Bagan

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Archaeological site: South (East) Asian
Travel Information
One million visitors or more
One million visitors or more
About 3.4 million tourists visited the ancient city of Bagan …
Recent Connections
View all (21) .
Connections of Bagan
Trivia
  • One million visitors or more
    About 3.4 million tourists visited the ancient city of Bagan in central Myanmar's Mandalay region in 2024 / "Myanmar's renowned archaeological site Bagan welcomed over 2 million tourists including more than 10,000 foreign tourists this year" (2023)

    See english.news.cn

  • Modelled after
    The Mahabodhi Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Bagan, Myanmar. It was constructed during the reign of King Htilominlo (r. 1211–1235), and is modeled after the Mahabodhi Temple in Bihar, India. (wiki)

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Hot Air Balloon rides
  • In Video Games
    Age of Empires II: Shwezigon pagoda
History
  • Located in a Former Capital
    From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Pagan Kingdom, the first kingdom that unified the regions that would later constitute modern Myanmar. (wiki)
Architecture
Damaged
  • Thefts since inscription
    Historic sculptures have been stolen from two pagodas (April 2022).

    See www.irrawaddy.com

  • Destroyed or damaged by Earthquake
    Bagan, located in an active earthquake zone, had suffered from many earthquakes over the ages, with over 400 recorded earthquakes between 1904 and 1975.... On 24 August 2016, a major earthquake hit central Burma and again did major damage in Bagan; this time almost 400 temples were destroyed. The Sulamani and Myauk Guni (North Guni) were severely damaged. (wiki)
World Heritage Process
Religion and Belief
  • Stupa
  • Pagoda
  • Sima Stones
    Sima stone attached to the stupa that were built in Mon-Pyu style such as Shwegugyi Pagoda, Thabyinnayu Pagoda, Dhammayanggyi Pagoda
Human Activity
  • Indigenous groups expelled
    "Historically, Bagan consisted of temples intermingling with housing, work places and farms. Today, there are still several villages scattered around the monuments. They are built around and incorporate several old pagodas. However, in 1990 the government ordered the population living in the central village known as Old Bagan—over 5,000 people—to move to New Bagan, four kilometres to the south"

    See www.academia.edu

  • Petrosomatoglyphs
    Has both free-standing footprints and mural paintings of them. At the Ananda Temple, the western portico depicts two Buddha footprint symbols on pedestals.

    See www.soas.ac.uk

WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
  • Built in the 11th century
    The historical period of greatest relevance in this nomination is the Bagan period (11th – 13th centuries) (AB ev)
Visiting conditions
WHS Names
News
irrawaddy.com 05/15/2023
Cyclone Mocha Leaves Parts of Myan…
newsgram.com 04/08/2023
Myanmar to restore mural paintings
irrawaddy.com 04/22/2022
Rare Sculptures Stolen From Bagan
Recent Visitors
Reserved for members.

Community Reviews

Show full reviews
First published: 16/08/18.

Shannon O'Donnell

Bagan

Bagan (Inscribed)

Bagan by Shannon O'Donnell

It's nearly impossible to visit Bagan and not find at least one temple or vista awe-inspiring. I traveled with a Burmese family doing an annual pilgrimage to Bagan, and it was interesting to see how their trip differed from some of the more classic ways that tourists tour it: via bicycle and in just a day. We started before dawn, when it was still dark and headed to Mount Popa, where we trucked it up the mountain and began what would be two days of temple hopping. After each visit, we would pile back into the bed of the pickup truck and head with our incense, flowers, and gold leaf to the next spot. 

And of course, we watched sunset at a temple—that's a must do. The stupas change color throughout the day, and some vary by composition. So you have rose-pink temples in the early morning light, dull brick by the harsh light of mid-day, and a brilliant ochre when lit by the setting sun. Make sure that you are out early on the day(s) you visit so you can see the full range.   

One of the things I loved about going via the truck is some of the more rural areas that we passed. Locals from the region sell jaggery candies and sour plum treats a bit outside the tourist center, and they're tasty! Make sure that you keep an eye out for these small round purple balls — they are hand-rolled sour plum paste dipped …

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First published: 07/10/15.

Els Slots

Bagan

Bagan (Inscribed)

Bagan by Els Slots

Bagan was a powerful kingdom from the 11th to the late 13th century: the empire stretched over almost all of what now is Myanmar. The remains of its ancient capital city comprise over 2,000 temples, monasteries and pagodas. They were constructed in a religious construction frenzy by Bagan’s rulers and wealthy subjects. Bagan at this time also became a center for religious study, attracting devotees from afar. Although it lost its prominence in the 14th century, the site was never abandoned and has stayed a pilgrimage destination throughout.

Nowadays Bagan is Myanmar’s tourist central, and it delivers proof that even the gentle Burmese can turn into annoying souvenir sellers & touts given a steady influx of wealthy tourists. In 2015, I stayed in Bagan for 4 nights, using it also as a base for a side trip to the wooden monasteries of Pakhangyi and Pakhannge. It was the end of the rainy season, and I experienced mostly partly cloudy weather during the day and a daily heavy downpour around 3.30 p.m. I ‘did’ two longer trips of exploration among the monuments, once by mountain bike and the other time cruising around on an e-scooter (a rightly popular mode of transportation at the site).

There’s no clear ‘Angkor Wat’ among Bagan’s religious monuments, no flagship temple or monastery that serves as the site’s iconic image. I would say that the two best contenders are the Ananda and Sulamani Temples. The Ananda was built in a fusion of Mon and …

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First published: 11/05/14.

Anonymous

Bagan

Bagan (Inscribed)

Bagan by Els Slots

I visited Bagan just recently in April 2014. While I can observe that adding gold leaf is one of the rituals given to Buddha, and constant renovation by the government of Myanmar instead of preservation, I still wish that Bagan will go into World Heritage List. Perhaps, this is the reason why the temples, pagoda, stupas survived time because the Myanmarese take care of them by doing renovation. One can still get awed by the frescoes and stuccos as well as Buddha images found in the temples. While, tourists can climb up the stupas right now to get an aerial view and a good view of the sunset or sunrise, I believe this should be regulated as it will eventually ruin the structure. If this archaelogical zone be included in the WHS list, I believe UNESCO will help a lot in its preservation.

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First published: 09/02/13.

Clyde

Bagan

Bagan (Inscribed)

Bagan by Els Slots

It most definitely is the first WHS Myanmar will have on the heritage list in the near future hands down. Thousands of temples, monasteries, stupas, pagodas, ordination halls, libraries, murals, Buddha images. The rural life in the plains adds to the overall experience. My favourite temple is Sulamani for its architectural beauty and murals. Had quite a few reservations against the constant temple reconstructions but a UNESCO WHS listing will surely help in managing the magnificent site,

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First published: 29/11/12.

Solivagant

Bagan

Bagan (Inscribed)

Bagan by Solivagant

The Bagan Archaeological zone stretches across 42 sq kms of the Irrawaddy plain and contains literally thousands of temples, pagodas, monasteries and other structures from the 11th to 13th centuries built in the golden age of the first great united kingdom of Burma. King Anawrahta (1044-1077), having overcome the rival Mon kingdom of Bago, embarked upon a massive construction program in support of Buddhism (primarily of the Theravada variety but also accepting influences from Mahayana, Hinduism and local animist “Nat” religions) which continued under his successors until 1297 when, as a result of Mongol invasions and other contributory factors, the kingdom disintegrated. A few of the largest remaining structures continued as pilgrimage destinations to this day whilst the others (the vast majority) gradually fell into disrepair.

The joy of visiting such a site is to be found both in taking in the grand buildings but also in exploring the numerous smaller structures scattered among the agricultural landscape. It is a site one could easily give 3 or 4 days and still be benefiting from new experiences, but in Nov 2012 we had only 1 full day plus half an afternoon! However, this was not my first visit as I had spent a full day there way back in 1977 and the comparison across those years identified a series of interesting issues.

My first visit had been by horse and cart and it was nice to see that these were still operating but, on this second visit, we made full use …

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First published: 09/11/08.

Susan Stair

Bagan

Bagan (Inscribed)

Bagan by Els Slots

So many areas of Myanmar (Burma) should be World Heritage Sites, but Bagan is definitely unlike any other location in the world. We visited in May, right after the cyclone, and not only were we the only Americans we saw, but the only tourists. So of course, this made this wide plain of hundreds of temples even more awesome. And access to them is too easy...we climbed to the top of some to see sunsets & sunrises. No one guards the area & the treasures in many of these temples are priceless. The Irawaddy River flows nearby & the pottery markets & people were a pleasure.

We have been lucky to visit many sites in the world from Angor Wat to Tikal to the Pyramids. And Bagan is as impressive in its own right. We hope the Myanmar generals & government will see the benefit of allowing Unesco to grant WH status to Bagan.

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