The Plains of Bagan

Pictures of places like the Plains of Pagan make me want to get up and go see them for myself.

Early morning in the Plains of Bagan, Myanmar.

By the end of the twelve century a small, hardscrabble settlement in the Irrawaddy River Valley exploded into the Kingdom of Pagan, ruling over much of what is now Burma.  Along with their language and culture, the early Mranma or Burmans, spread their enthusiasm for Theravada Buddhism throughout their kingdom.

During the boom times, the ruling elite built some 10,000 Buddhist temples in the Plains of Pagan.  But like most empires, their dynasty was undermined by internecine bickering.  Eventually the divided kingdom was toppled by repeated incursions of the Mongol hordes.  When the empire fell, the glorious temples of Pagan were abandoned.

Now, almost eight centuries after the sacred spaces fell silent, the Plains of Pagan have been invaded again, this time by the tourist hordes.  Even so, the tropical sun rise over the ancient temples is enough to bring you to your knees.