Bagan | Myanmar

Ananda Temple Bagan

Southeast Asia Tour 2015

Bagan | Myanmar

30 Nov 2015 | Mon

Day 12 of 46

  • Flight | Yangon International Airport to Bagan Nyaung-U Airport
  • Nyaung-U Town | Mani Sithu Market
  • Shwezigon Pagoda Nyaung-U
  • Gubyaukgyi Temple Myinkaba
  • Bagan’s Vast Temple Plains
  • Htilominlo Temple Nyaung-U
  • Ananda Temple Bagan
  • Queen Restaurant Nyaung-U
  • The Hotel at Tharabar Gate Bagan
  • Manuha Temple Myinkaba
  • Nanpaya Temple Myinkaba
  • Lacquerware Factory Bagan
  • Thatbyinnyu Temple Bagan
  • Our First Sunset in Bagan

Ananda Temple Bagan

The Ananda Temple, located in the ancient city of Bagan in central Myanmar, is a sight to behold. Built over 1,000 years ago during the reign of King Kyansittha, this grand temple is dedicated to the relic of the Buddha’s hair and other holy objects. At first glance, visitors are astonished by its sheer size and ornate architecture: four elegant tapering spires soar skyward above a 20-meter wide base that contains an impressive array of terraces and stairways.

Ananda Temple Bagan

Inside the Ananda Temple lies a wealth of art and sculpture depicting Buddhist scenes from around Asia. Intricately carved stone reliefs decorate walls and doorways, while life-size statues grace one side of the inner chamber. The center chamber houses an image of Gautama Buddha and four standing figures representing his past lives as princely kings.

Ananda Temple Bagan

The Ananda Temple (Burmese: အာနန္ဒာ ဘုရား, pronounced [ànàɰ̃dà pʰəjá]), located in Bagan, Myanmar is a Buddhist temple built in 1105 AD during the reign (1084–1112/13) of King Kyansittha of the Pagan Dynasty. The temple layout is in a cruciform with several terraces leading to a small pagoda at the top covered by an umbrella known as hti, which is the name of the umbrella or top ornament found in almost all pagodas in Myanmar. The Buddhist temple houses four standing Buddha statues, each one facing the cardinal direction of East, North, West and South. The temple is said to be an architectural wonder in a fusion of Mon and adopted Indian style of architecture. The impressive temple has also been titled the “Westminster Abbey of Burma”. The temple has close similarity to the Pathothamya temple of the 10th–11th century, and is also known as “veritable museum of stones”.

The temple was damaged in the earthquake of 1975. However, it has been fully restored and is well maintained by frequent painting and whitewashing of the walls. On the occasion of 900th anniversary of its construction celebrated in 1990 the temple spires were gilded. It is a highly revered temple of Bagan.

– Wikipedia Ananda Temple Bagan

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