Bagan, the land of thousands of forgotten temples

Located on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River of Mandalay region, Myanmar, ancient Bagan city was once the capital of the Pagan kingdom, a key cultural, economic and political center of the Pagan Empire during the period from the century. 9th to 13th century.

At its peak (between the 11th and 13th centuries), Pagan dynasty leaders built thousands of temples across the vast Bagan plain. It is estimated that more than 10,000 temples, pagodas and monasteries grow on this plain of 100km square center. However, only about 2,200 temples and temples exist until today.

Bagan City became the center of power from the middle of the 9th century during the reign of King Anawratha, who unified Myanmar according to Theravada Buddhism. For over 250 years, the leaders of ancient Bagan city and their subjects built over 10,000 religious symbols on the Bagan plain.

This prosperous city grew in size and its reputation, becoming an international center for all religious and earthly studies. Monks and scholars come from as far away as India, Ceylon (the former name of Sri Lanka) and the Khmer empire also came to Bagan to study poetry, phonology, grammar, astrology, alchemy, medicine and law.

Bagan's golden age declined in 1287 when the kingdom and the capital were invaded and raided by the Mongols. The population dropped to just one village, hid in the remnants of a place that had once been a magnificent city. New religious monuments continued to form until the middle of the 15th century and after that, the construction of temples was almost stopped with only 200 new temples erected during the 15th century. 20th century.

The old capital continued to be a pilgrimage site, however, the pilgrimage group concentrated only in the main temples, thousands of less famous and more remote temples falling into abandoned status and damaged, most no longer exist before the challenge of time. Many other temples and pagodas are buried by disasters such as earthquakes.

Today, only a few dozen temples are cared for regularly. In the 1990s, the Myanmar government tried to restore destroyed temples, but could not retain the original style. The use of modern materials has faced widespread opposition from historians and conservationists around the world. Because of the change not true to this history, Bagan City was not recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, although the Myanmar government asserts that hundreds of temples have not been repaired and stone works. This place is more than enough to be recognized as a world heritage.