Buddhist shrines everywhere.
This monuments are on the planet since several thousand years and they probably will be around as long as humans will be here. They are a synonym of the spirituality being visible everywhere in cities, on mountains, in rivers, on beaches and most famous places such as Bagan, Mrauk U and practically everywhere else in different shapes and sizes.
It is very similar as with churches in Italy and Spain. The mad communist of China, Russia and Cambodia couldn't get rid of them although they tried hard which means pagodas and Buddhist temples plus shrines are here to stay.
One building type is the temple which has a hall people can walk in similar to a church or mosque and the constructions were made depending what the builder had in mind often it also was simply a budget matter read more.
A good example is the massive pyramidal Dhammayangyi Temple is a masterpiece of this structure with well designed proportions this is one of the most famous in the city and around read more.
Here on the plains behind the east side of the Irrawaddy River (Ayeyarwady) the creators of this artwork collaborated with a common goal, to make a masterpiece and effectively they didn't make only one. It needs to consider the time-frame when all this has happen without proper tools and machinery, today this is not such a big deal anymore when having a creative person since for the tools and materials just go and get it.
Pagodas also know as stupa are solid building enshrining sacred relics usually donated by someone to gain merit. The terraced base was a square layout which grow over time to more sides read more.
Typical is the Shwezigon Pagoda or stupa which
is the biggest in the city and for sure a fascinating visual appearance
in the plains around and from the Irrawaddy River just watch the
Chinthes to the left this are the guardians to keep evil away since the
shrine is still standing they did a good job read more
Architecture, painting (mural painting) and sculpturing came together in a perfect symbiosis.
Although not much survived of the monastic complexes around such as rest houses, apartments and other structures since that was all made from wood and that burns frequently. The remains where the basic brick made monuments sometimes reinforced by stones.
With this in mind we focused at the most important of various styles and sizes since the fact is about 90% of the pagoda, stupa, temples and shrines are very similar anyway.
We also included the Irrawaddy River to make a cruise with some smaller ships which is very interesting because from the waterside there are no walls but fascinating views.
Since salaries for the local people are very low anyway we suggest hire a tour guide, there are many male and female, why? First you will see the stuff you would have missed without them, they take off trouble and you save a lot of time. Plus one more important thing is, many of the beautiful temples have doors and they are locked. You will never come into alone since only the Bagan tour guide know where they keys are, don't underestimate this.
If you want to buy or make some quality photos.
On real artwork level visit the Ananda Temple and ask for Mr. Bagan Maung Maung, he is a famous photographer in the country and has a shop there where usually his wife is looking after. He can also be hired for a day tour or more to make pictures and videos. Which can be a good idea because he know were and on what time the good shots can be made. He was guiding many Japanese TV crews and other he is doing this on a professional level.E.g. he went with us to make the video above and showed the top spots from where to shoot.
He also helped to make plenty of pictures of the monastery here and we were happy to have him with us. Just to get the novices into the right clothing and carry the begging bows took quite an effort since they are no around all time and more.
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