Pagan Travel Guide

  Wetkyi-in Gubyaukgyi
by herzog63
 
  • Wetkyi-in Gubyaukgyi
      Wetkyi-in Gubyaukgyi
    by herzog63
  • Temple
      Temple
    by herzog63
  •   Pagan
    by HIROKO333
  • Dhammayangyi Patho
      Dhammayangyi Patho
    by herzog63
  • Thatbyinnyu Pahto
      Thatbyinnyu Pahto
    by herzog63
 

Explore Pagan

Things to Do  

Small Pagodas

Small Pagodas, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  There are many smaller Pagodas all over the Bagan area. These can be seen in the Old Bagan area. You could easily spend days or weeks checking them out. 

Mahabodhi Paya

Mahabodhi Paya, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  This Paya was very unique as it is based off the Mahabodi Temple in Bodhgaya India were Buddha attained his enlightenment. I hadn't been to that one but I thought this one was based off the Temples of South India. I didn't see any other Payas done in this style here in... 

Shwesandaw Paya

Shwesandaw Paya, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  Shwesandaw Paya is one of the most Popular Temples to take in the beautiful Sunsets of Bagan from. I didn't go here for sunset but I could see quite a few people up there. This is one of the rare Temples that has the outside stairs going up from to the upper levels. Most of... 

Gawdawpalin Pahto

Gawdawpalin Pahto, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  Gawdawpalin Pahto is just down the road from Antizigon Pahto. It is a very beautiful Paya! It was built in the 12th and 13th century. The upper levels to this place are also closed!! I guess they are preserving the stair ways by not letting tourists go to the top. It is sad... 

Atwinzigon Paya

Atwinzigon Paya, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  Here at Atwinzigon Paya there isn't anything to special to see. We happened on it as there is a place to eat lunch right across the street so we wandered over and check it out. There is a main entrance hall then the Chedi is behind that. It's worth a few minutes though. 

Thatbyinnyu Pahto

Thatbyinnyu Pahto, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  Thatbyinnyu Pahto is one of the highest Temples in Bagan. This is another of the Temples that I was disappointed to discover that tourists are not allowed to the upper levels. But the lower level is fun to explore. There is a souvenir stand and a small "restaurant" located... 

Dhammayangyi Patho

Dhammayangyi Patho, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  Dhammayangyi Patho is a pretty cool place. It was built somewhere around the 12 th century! It is built with mortarless brick which is very cool upon close inspection. The upper terraces were off limits when I was there so you can only enjoy the outer beauty of the place.... 

Transportation  

Horse Carts from Nyaung U to Bagan

Horse Carts from Nyaung U to Bagan, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  If you are staying in Nyaung U taking the Horse cart to Old Bagan could be quite fun. I'm sure you could hire a cart for the whole day. It might not be the most comfortable way to travel for a day but it certainly would be interesting! 

Wake up the horse cart driver

Wake up the horse cart driver, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  I don't think the horse cart drivers keep really busy. As most of the time they were just lounging and sleeping while waiting for a customer. 

Local Customs  

Sunrise in Old Bagan

Sunrise in Old Bagan, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  If you get up early you can enjoy beautiful sunrises from some of the Pagodas in Old Bagan. There are a few Good spots to choose from. It is good to scout out the Paya you want to visit at sunrise the night before and make sure the upper level is open to the public. It would... 

Warnings Or Dangers  

Snakes, scorpions and killer bees!

Snakes, scorpions and killer bees!, Pagan

 Joris1974 Says:  Exploring Pagan by bike and entering remote, deserted temples and pagodas is probably the best way to expierence this magnificent place.However, be extremely careful walking around and especially entering the temples. One time we saw a snake in a temple, the day after we got... 

Sharp objects and thin tires!

Sharp objects and thin tires!, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  If you rent a bike beware that the tires will be weakened from the heat of the pavement and they may be thin anyways! My son had 4 punctures in his tires. Luckily there are a plenty of little fix-it shops set up under the trees and they are positioned so you wouldn't have to... 

Off The Beaten Path  

The Ox cart isn't really an off the beaten path

The Ox cart isn't really an off the beaten path, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  Well the ox cart isn't really an off the beaten path tip in Myanmar as they are quite common. I just loved watching these slow moving ox carts hauling there loads of straw and other materials. 

Kings Throne??

Kings Throne??, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  When I saw this sitting outside of Atwinzigon Paya I told my son it was an old Kings Throne! He was excited about it. Then he looked at it curious and said I don't think so. But we took a picture of him sitting in it anyways. 

Favorites  

Small Buddha

Small Buddha, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  At many of the Pagodas you can find small Buddhas inside. Some are old and some are not so old. I'm guessing that the ones that are not super sacred are out on display as I did see some that were kept under lock and key. 

Zedi

Zedi, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  On the grounds of most all of the Payas you will see Zedi's similar to this one. They usually contain Buddha relics such as a hair or a tooth. Although the relics are impossible to see they play an important part in the Paya's importantance. That is only my observation and... 

Atwinzigon Paya restoration

Atwinzigon Paya restoration, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  When you walk behind the main building of the Atwinzigon Paya you will see this stupa. It was being restored while I was there. I found the scaffolding to be quite interesting. It was a style of scaffolding that I hadn't seen before. 

Blocked off entrances

Blocked off entrances, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  At most of the bigger Payas and some of the smaller ones the entrances to the interior were usually blocked off like this picture. Probably a deterrant to vandalism and theft. The Main Entrance will be open for you to gain entry.The designs of most of the Payas had an open... 

Groups of Payas

Groups of Payas, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  There are several groups of lesser known Payas spread out all over the Bagan area. This is one of the Payas located between the Bagan-Nyaung U Road and Anawrhta Road just south-east of Nyaung U. These are accesed from small dirt paths that intersect with the main roads. They... 

Sapada Paya

Sapada Paya, Pagan

 herzog63 Says:  This is the Sapada Paya. Nothing very important as far as I could tell. But is a good landmark to know if you are staying at one of the guesthouses near it. As I was staying at The Large Golden Pot which is directly across the road from Sapada Paya. 

The Place

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The People

 
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Top Pagan Writers

1

Bagan - Flatland of Ancient Pagodas

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 Bagan is such a fantastic place! Lots and lots of 1000 year old Temples and it's pretty flat so it's a great place for bike riding and exploring the temples at your own pace. I only had a couple days... 

2

Bagan - History and Architecture

tina_vietnam profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Pagan. I'd love to share with you the 3 tips I've written, the 13 photos uploaded, and 1 travelogue I've created. 

3

HIROKO333's new Rangoon Page

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 Touch Buddhism Heaven... This is PAGAN. If you are in there ask a carriage to come to pick up before dawn and go to Sywesandaw Pagoda. You'll see many pagodas shining at surise. 

4

stupas everywhere

namhsan profile photo

 I've got some interesting experiences in Pagan. I'd love to share with you the 1 tip I've written, the 3 photos uploaded, and 0 travelogues I've created. 

5

Beefy's Pagan Page

Beefy_SAFC profile photo

 The pagoda capital of Burma (and actual ancient capital), the main attraction has to be the thousands of, er, Pagodas. Not to be too detrimental, it's worth a day's stop over. I'd aim for the... 

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