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monuments  Bagan
is the main tourist attraction in Myanmar. One of the richest archaeological sites
in Asia, it is located on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwaddy River. Also being
the capital of first Myanmar Empire, Bagan covers an area of 42 sq. km containing
over 2000 well-preserved pagodas and temples of the 11th - 13th century.
There
are daily flights between Yangon and Bagan which take an hour and ten minutes.
There are regular Express Coach services to Bagan from Yangon and Mandalay. There
are also regular flights from Mandalay and Heho to Bagan which take only 20 minutes.
Express Trains from Yangon and Mandalay stop at Thazi Junction, from where it
is accessible to Bagan by a 3 hour drive. There is a double-decker steamer service
between Mandalay and Bagan and a luxury cruise 'Road to Mandalay' by E & O
Express. Bagan and Nyaung U have hotels and guest houses or motels with
modern facilities at reasonable prices. Among the significant temples and
pagodas are: Ananda Temple
Built by King Kyansittha
in 1090, the Ananda Temple is the masterpiece of early style temple architecture.
There are four huge Buddha images in the standing position at the four faces and
a series of eighty reliefs depicting the life of the Buddha. Thatbyinnyu
Temple
Over 66 metres high: the Thatbyinnyu Temple, built by King Alaungsithu,
in the middle of the 12th century, overtops all other monuments and it terrace
affords visitors a magnificent panorama of the Bagan plain. Gubyaukgyi
Temple (Wetkyi-in)
A 13th century temple with a spire resembling the Mahabodhi
Temple at Bodha Gaya in India: the Gubyaukgyi is noted for its wall paintings,
depicting scenes from the previous livers of the Buddha. 
Htilominlo
Temple
Built by King Nadaungmya in 1211: the 50 metre high Htilominlo
is one of the largest temples of Bagan; and is noted for its fine plaster carvings. Dhammayangyi
Temple
This massive temple: built by King Narathu in the 12th century,
displays the finest brickwork in Bagan. Shwezigon
Pagoda
Built by King Anawrahta, founder of the first Myanmar Empire, and
finished by King Kyansittha in special reverence by successive kings and became
the prototype for later Myanmar pagodas. Around Bagan,
Mount Popa
About 67 km southeast of Bagan is Mount Popa, an extinct volcano
over 1,500 metres high, rising out of the plains. It is famed as the abode of
the Mahagiri Nats or Spirit gods to whom the Kings of Bagan paid annual homage
and their shrines can be seen at a nearby rocky crag.
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