Majesty of Bagan: Bright moonlight illuminates the Tu Yin Mountain Pagoda
The chill in the predawn air in the city of Bagan, Myanmar, fails to discourage travelers from leaving their van to enjoy the beautiful view ahead of them.
The exhaustion after a long trip fades at the sight of the exotic panorama of Bagan.
Travelers can reach Bagan by air, train, night bus or by hiring a minibus from Yangon. A land trip from Yangon to Bagan takes about 10 to 15 hours.
Several huge, golden pagodas stand majestically in stark contrast to the dark early-morning sky. Other pagodas, temples and stupas of various sizes lining Bagan's roadsides are also dimly visible.
Cruising along the archeological zone of Bagan the old temples dominate the urban landscape, ranging from grand and imposing structures to small shrines at road junctions.
At Shwesandaw, the minibus halts. With the bright moonlight and twinkling stars illuminating the temple area, the prevailing atmosphere is truly awe-inspiring.
Those entering the place of worship must go barefoot, the biting cold of stone steps is felt as they ascend the pagoda to reach its top tier more than 10 meters up.
Despite being chilled to the bone, foreign visitors chat volubly while waiting for the sunrise on the eastern horizon.
'Most foreign tourists relish the splendor offered by Bagan temples at the moments of sunrise and sunset,' said Thar Gyi, a tour guide and driver from a travel bureau in Yangon, the Myanmar capital.
'For the best view of a hypnotizing sunset, tourists often opt for an aerial view of Bagan from an air balloon.'
In the beginning, there were over 10,000 Buddhist temples, pagodas and monasteries built on the plains of Bagan, originally called Pagan. Today around 2,000 temples and pagodas are left.
Bagan is believed to have been discovered in the middle of the ninth century by the Mranma, or people of Burma. Territorially, the area was formerly under the rule of the kingdom of Nanzhao in the valley of the Irrawaddy.
With Myanmar opening up to the outside world, the thousand-temple city with its pristine culture and captivating scenery is developing into a magnet for visitors.
' Text and photos by JP/P.J. Leo
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