Bagan and its sea of temples on the Ayeyarwady plain

Bagan in Myanmar stretches across the Ayeyarwady River plain as a vast landscape of Buddhist temples from the Bagan Period. Their brick silhouettes define the site.

Bagan in central Myanmar is a wide archaeological landscape of Buddhist temples and stupas spread across the plain beside the Ayeyarwady River, with brick silhouettes rising above fields and scrub. The centre of this landscape formed the capital of the Pagan Kingdom from the 9th to the 13th centuries, and the remaining temples date largely from that Bagan Period.

A brick temple city of the Bagan Period

Bagan lies on a bend in the Ayeyarwady River in the central dry zone of Myanmar, where the river and flat plain frame the concentration of temples and stupas.Located on a bend in the Ayeyarwady River The ancient city was the seat of the Pagan Kingdom, regarded as the first Burmese empire, and reached its peak between the 11th and 13th centuries, a phase widely referred to as the Bagan Period.Bagan was the seat of the Pagan Kingdom During this time, kings such as Anawrahta and his successors supported Theravada Buddhism, and temple building became a central expression of royal and lay patronage.Anawrahta, king of the first Myanmar Empire and a Theravada Buddhist

Royal chronicles and archaeological research record that Bagan developed from a fortified settlement into a major religious and political centre in the 9th century, with large-scale construction underway by the 11th century.Founded in the mid-to-late 9th century Over several centuries, rulers and wealthy donors commissioned thousands of monuments, creating a temple city that still defines the plain. The brick construction and stuccoed surfaces, together with sandstone details and interior murals, reflect a blend of local building traditions and wider Buddhist artistic currents across mainland Southeast Asia.

Temples, stupas and monasteries across the plain

The Bagan Archaeological Zone contains thousands of recorded monuments, including temples, stupas, monasteries and other structures dedicated to Buddhist practice.3,595 recorded monuments including stupas and temples Historical sources indicate that more than 10,000 religious buildings once stood on this plain, constructed mainly between the 11th and 13th centuries, though a smaller fraction survive in recognisable form.During the kingdom's height more than 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries were constructed The surviving monuments range from enclosed temple structures with interior image chambers to solid stupas enclosing relics, punctuating the landscape with different scales and profiles.

Among the better-known temples are Ananda Temple and Dhammayangyi Temple, which stand out through their size and refined brickwork.Ananda Temple and Dhammayangyi Temple Ananda Temple dates to the early twelfth century and combines a square plan with multiple storeys and a central tower, while Dhammayangyi Temple, built slightly later, is notable for particularly tight brick joints and a massive outer profile. Interiors in many temples preserve Buddha images, painted murals and carved details, though the degree of preservation varies from building to building. Together, the variety of structural types and decorative schemes provides an overview of Bagan-period Buddhist architecture.

World Heritage landscape on the Ayeyarwady

Bagan’s plain of temples and stupas has been recognised as a cultural World Heritage Site, reflecting its value as a sacred landscape and as evidence of Bagan-period civilisation.Bagan inscribed on the World Heritage List The inscription identifies several components along both banks of the Ayeyarwady River, covering temple clusters, associated archaeological remains and parts of the riverine setting. This recognition emphasises the connection between religious architecture, inscriptions and sculpture on one side, and the wider historical context of a Buddhist kingdom on the other.

The plain has been affected by earthquakes and other natural processes, including significant events in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries that damaged numerous monuments.Earthquakes have destroyed many monuments and weakened foundations Conservation work has aimed to stabilise structures, preserve murals and manage the overall landscape so that contemporary use and historical fabric coexist. For travellers viewing the site, the interplay between restored monuments, weathered brickwork and patches of open ground conveys both the scale of the original temple city and the passage of many centuries.

Visiting Bagan: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Bagan is in central Myanmar on the east bank of the Ayeyarwady River, reached overland from Mandalay and other regional centres, and by flights to nearby airports.
• Within the archaeological zone, many monuments stand on flat terrain crossed by minor roads and paths, while some temple interiors are accessed by stairways that climb through compact passages.
• The broader setting is the dry zone of central Myanmar, and exposures to sun on the open plain are a constant factor during visits to temple clusters.
• The official language is Burmese and the currency is the Myanmar kyat.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Bagan

Where is Bagan and what kind of place is it?

Bagan is in central Myanmar on the Ayeyarwady River and is an archaeological landscape of Buddhist temples, stupas and related structures from the Bagan Period.

What should visitors expect when exploring the temples?

Visitors encounter dense clusters of brick temples and stupas across a broad plain, with some interiors accessible by narrow stairways and others viewed only from the outside.

What makes Bagan distinctive among historic sites?

Bagan is distinctive for the sheer concentration of surviving Buddhist monuments from the 11th to 13th centuries and for their setting across the Ayeyarwady River plain.