76) Myanmar’s plain of wonders in Bagan: Photos 42 to 52

To say it straightforward: we absolutely loved the area of Bagan and stayed there for nine days! Whatever other sites in Myanmar you visit, Bagan is undoubtedly the cultural climax that no visitor should miss, no matter how little time they have at their disposal. The numerous religious monuments (over 2,000 still standing) near the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwaddy River (better known as Irrawaddy River), in a plain crossed by few major roads but many paths, in the middle of fields and trees constitute one of the most fabulous archaeological sites in the world.

King Anawratha (1044-1077) was the true unifier of the Burmese kingdom by stopping the Khmer invasion; he brought forth numerous Buddha relics from the military campaigns for which a suitable setting had to be built, considering their holy status. This is the period that encompassed the ambitious building frenzy of temples, pagodas and sanctuaries that we can still behold today. Shortly before the 13th century, the area contained the amazing number of 10,000 monuments of all sizes and styles. Naturally, such apogee cannot last forever, first came the invasion of the Mongols under Kublai Khan, Djingis Khan’s grand-son. Although the monuments were not destroyed by

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