Bagan

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Image:Bagan-sm.jpg Bagan (Burmese: Image:Bagan.png), formerly Pagan, was the ancient capital of several ancient kingdoms in Myanmar (Burma). It is located in the dry central plains of the country, located on the western banks of the Ayeyarwady River (Irrawaddy River), and is 145 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Mandalay.

UNESCO has long tried unsuccessfully to designate Bagan as a World Heritage Site. However, Bagan's chance of becoming a World Heritage Site is now slim, as the government has renovated many temples and pagodas without taking into consideration their former architectural styles.

1 Architectural styles
2 History
3 Cultural sites
4 Neighbours
5 More photos
6 See also
7 References

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Architectural styles

Image:Bagan, Hpaya-thon-zu-Group.JPG The religious buildings of Bagan are often reminiscent of popular architectural styles in the period of their constructions. The most common types are:

Stupa with a relic-shaped dome
Stupa with tomb-shaped dome
Sinhalese-styled stupa
North Indian model
Central Indian model
South Indian model
Mon model

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History

The ruins of Bagan cover an area of 16 square miles. The majority of its buildings were built in the 11th to 13th centuries, during the time Bagan was the capital of the Burmese dynasty. Bagan was not made a major city until King Pyinbya moved the capital to Bagan in 874 A.D. However, in Burmese tradition, the capital shifted with each reign, and because of this, Bagan was once again abandoned until the reign of Anawratha. In 1057, King Anawratha conquered the Mon capital of Thaton, and brought back Pali scriptures, Buddhist monks and craftsmen, and were utilised to transform Bagan into a religious and cultural centre. After he converted to Theravada Buddhism,he sent a samgha mission to Sri Lanka, and by the help of the samgha, he successfully converted his country. Bagan then became the sole centre of religious studies, and the university in Bagan attracted students from as far as the Khmer kingdoms. In 1287 the kingdom fell to the Mongols, after refusing to pay tribute. The city was ransacked, as many religious relics were stolen.

**Rulers of Bagan**
Name	Relationship	Reign (A.D.)	Notes
Thamudarit		107-152	*founder of Bagan
Pyinbya	Son of Khelu	846-878	moved capital from Tampawadi (modern Pwasaw) to Bagan
Anawratha	Son of Kunsaw Kyaunghpyu	1044-1077	*founder of Bagan
Sawlu	Son	1077-1084
Kyanzittha	Brother	1084-1113
Alaungsithu	Grandson	1113-1167	1113-1160(?)
Narathu	Son	1167-1170	1160-1165(?)
Naratheinkha	Son	1170-1173
Narapatisithu	Brother	1174-1211
Htilominlo	Son	1211-1234
Kyaswa	Son	1234-1250
Uzana	Son	1250-1255
Narathihapati	Son	1255-1287
Kyawswa	Son	1287-1298
Sawhnit	Son	1298-1325
Sawmunnit	Son	1325-1369

*Although Anawratha is accounted for the founding of Bagan, Thamudarit is the listed as the "traditional" founder of Bagan in Hmannan Yazawin (The Glass Palace Chronicles).

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