In 250 years the kings and citizens of Bagan raised over 10,000 stupas, temples and monasteries on the bend of the Irrawaddy; more than 2,200 survive, from gilded giants like Ananda Temple to house-sized shrines. Building was merit-making: each donor's temple a prayer in brick. Alison's great-circle track, which links Giza and Angkor, crosses Myanmar at Pyay, some 250 km downriver, rather than Bagan itself.
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Notable facts
- Ananda Temple's four 9.5 m standing Buddhas change expression with viewing distance — solemn close up, smiling from afar.
- Earthquakes (most recently 2016) have repeatedly tested and reshaped the monuments.
- Marco Polo probably described Bagan's 'gilded towers' from hearsay as one of the finest sights in the world.
