The most beautiful religious buildings Myanmar - Burma

This temple is undoubtedly the most famous and most visited in Bagan. Its restoration, completed in 2014, has been very successful and is restoring the site to its former splendour. The Ananda Temple is the culmination in terms of architecture of the first period of Bagan. Built by Kyanzittha, it is considered to be the finest and most imposing of its kind. It is characterized by its Greek cross plan, which will be repeated in other buildings. You will not be the only one to visit it, far from it: it is an obligatory point of passage for foreign tourists and Burmese pilgrims. On festival days, especially the Full Moon, thousands of Burmese camp around it. Atmosphere guaranteed. Note the many green enamelled ornaments on the bases and terraces of the monument depicting scenes of jataka and figures of the army of Mara, the demon of Buddhism. On the western part of the base, the monsters are depicted, and on the eastern part there are devas rejoicing at Buddha's victory over Mara. The four upper terraces are decorated with 389 scenes depicting the last ten jataka. On the lower terraces, each jataka is represented by a scene accompanied by a Mon inscription. Its corridors are remarkable: decorated with statues embedded in niches.

Ananda Ok-kyaung: A brick monastery located to the right of the main entrance to the Ananda Temple. It dates from 1775, the end of the decline of classical art and the revival of Burmese inspired architecture.

According to the legend, the presence of this 8m high rock which seems to be in unstable balance on a rocky base dates back 2,500 years. The Buddha, during one of his visits, is said to have donated one of his locks of hair to a hermit, Taik Tha. The hermit, after having kept the lock in his own hairstyle to protect him, would in turn have donated it to the king, on condition that he locked it up in a place resembling his own head. The king, having inherited supernatural powers from his father, an alchemist, and his mother, who was nothing more than a nat, a spirit, would have found the appropriate rock at the bottom of the seas. After determining, thanks to astrologers, that Kyaiktiyo was the best place to accommodate this rock, he would have placed it there in balance on the lock of Buddha's hair. The strand of hair would be the only way the rock would be kept in balance and not thrown into the void.

It is poignant to observe the faithful, monks and laymen alike, gathering in front of the rock and religiously plating fine gold leaf to earn themselves merits. The esplanade adjoining the mass of stone and gold and the various small stupas are a place of prayer as well as a place for visitors to gather to pray, have lunch or simply chat together.

Around the rock a real little town has developed, made up of stalls, small souvenir shops and religious trinkets, astrologers and healers, small restaurants and cafés. Strolling through the alleys is very pleasant

All in teak, this monastery was built by Thibaw in 1880, from materials recovered from apartments in Mindon. It was at the time part of the Royal Palace. The apartment of King Mindon, was moved outside the walls because his son evoked bad memories. Thanks to that, he escaped the palace fire! We can still see 10 large jataka, in good condition. Architecturally speaking, one of the most beautiful sites talking about Mandalay. If you need to find a good reason to pay 10 US$ for the package, look no further.

If you had to take off your shoes only once in Inwa, it would be for Bagaya Monastery. A magnificent teak monument lost in the rice fields, hoisted on one-piece pillars that run through the entire structure. It is recognizable by its pointed hat on seven levels. Bagaya Kyaung was built in 1834, during the reign of King Bagyidaw. No less than 267 carved teak beams that have survived over the years and form a masterpiece of Burmese cultural heritage. A heritage that continues in traditional Burmese decoration.

To the north of the site, following the trail along the river, the Hsinbyume pagoda looks like a big cream cake. Built on a circular plan, it has seven concentric terraces, finished with wave-like parapets representing the seven mountains and oceans around Mount Meru. At the top of the highest of the terraces rises a sanctuary set in a cylindrical body. Access by three staircases covered by arcades carved in stucco.

Beyond the place of worship, we go to Kyauk Ka Lat for its environment. This monastery in the middle of which stands a rocky peak surmounted by a pagoda is much visited by the locals. It is erected in the middle of a small lake, which makes it very photogenic, as is the view from its top, or almost. You have to cross a small footbridge over the water to reach it. At the end, as if it were on stilts, one can admire the pagoda and the Buddha of course, which are almost unreal and poetic at the same time.

This is the Burmese Guilin. Two karst sugar loaves occur on each side of the road. One has become a sanctuary dedicated to Nat and the other to the Hindu God Shiva.

This pagoda was built between 1939 and 1952. The recent construction of Thanboddhay explains its peculiarity and interesting features. More than 500,000 small images of Buddha's disciples are nestled inside the pagoda. From the outside, the Pagoda itself vaguely resembles Borobudur in Java (Indonesia), except that here it is covered with gold leaf. The whole thing is beautiful! A small tower allows men to enjoy the view of the pagoda, but is unfortunately forbidden to women.

Just south-east of Old Bagan, set back from the road, this temple, which is still not much visited, is probably our favourite. Never restored, its monumental mass makes it one of the largest and, if fully restored, probably the highest of all the temples in Bagan. But these places are cursed. Legend has it that King Narathu ordered its construction in the 12th century as a penance for the assassination of his father and brother. During the construction, he was particularly sensitive to the fact that the joints between the bricks were extremely fine. Go ahead, check it out, it's amazing! And the workers who did not do a sufficiently satisfactory job had their hands cut off as they left the temple. You can see at the entrance of the temple the holes in which they had to place their arm and wait for their sentence ... Narathu was murdered, and the center of the temple compiled of stones and bricks and closed forever.

Today, as you walk down the alleys of the huge galleries, you will hear the sound of bats, the only inhabitants of the place, and a strange atmosphere takes over this temple at dusk. A word of advice, go at sunset. There is absolutely no one around, and the last rays of sunlight enter the west gate, revealing beautiful rural paintings. A magical place, full of emotions without any doubt, which we hope will remain as it is. And fortunately, now that Bagan is officially listed as a World Heritage Site, people believe in it.

Built on stilts like all the other monasteries in the region, this small monastery, still in operation, is famous for its teak thein, the consecrated room, and its oval openings, unique in their kind, which sometimes let you see the heads of the bonzillons studying. It is undoubtedly a very beautiful image to photograph or simply to keep as a souvenir, which shows all the charm of Burma. Near the monastery, you can visit a small pagoda, interesting for the interior decorations of its ambulatory.

Its name means "the Great Fulfilment of the Great World", in pale. It stands to the east of the Kyauktawgyi pagoda. Dating from the origins of the city, it was built by King Mindon on the model of the Shwezigon Pagoda in Bagan. It is famous for housing the Buddhist scriptures. On 729 stone tablets are engraved all the tripitaka approved by the ^Fifth Synod invited by King Mindon. A unique collection in the Buddhist world.

This magnificent pyramid-temple belongs to the same category as Sulamani. It is one of the few buildings in Bagan to be illuminated at night. It is then called: The jewel of Bagan. In Old Bagan, let yourself be inspired by the most monumental and frequented pagodas or venture among the small ruined temples, the forests of stupas, or the pagodas under restoration, they were numerous after the earthquake, scattered on the dunes. The must-see: Ananda, of course, Thatbyinnyu, Bupaya, Mahabodhi and Shwe-gu-gyi.

About 2 500 stûpas stand on a hill above the Hopong valley. Over four hundred years old, no text explains who is the founder of this site. Legend says King Narapatisithu of Bagan built these Pagodas. Every year, a wonderful full moon festival takes place in March. The inhabitants of all the pa villages in the surrounding area then put their finest traditional costumes, candles illuminate pagodas, theatrical performances and musical performances take place.

The Botataung Pagoda was built more than 2,000 years ago by a minister who was given relics of Buddha by King Suvannabhumi. Bo Tataung meaning "a thousand soldiers", this small army escorted the sacred box to Burma. Entirely destroyed by bombs during the Second World War, the great generosity of the people made it possible to rebuild it identically. In this pagoda, it is possible to enter inside and see relics and a crowd of Buddha statues. A fascinating place.

The Mahamuni pagoda, or Phayargyi, is a real must in Mandalay and the most famous place of pilgrimage in Upper Burma for the bronze image of Buddha it houses. Its history goes back twenty-five centuries. The image is revered by all. Especially on the Sabbath, full moon and religious festivals. One can hear the murmur of prayers recited in mid-voice. According to the chronicles, Buddha visited the kingdom of Dinnayawadi some 2,500 years ago. Some twenty years after Gautama's Enlightenment, King Sanda Thuriya of Dinnayawadi felt the desire to meet Buddha and receive his teaching. His desire coincided with a visit by Buddha to the State of Arakan with 500 monks on the full moon of Kason (May), in 123 AD. The king, his wife and the little prince set out on a journey to Buddha's camp. His Majesty prostrated himself so well before Buddha that the latter did him the favour of a visit to his palace. There he preached the Dhamma for seven days. Afterwards, the king begged him to present to the multitude of the faithful traces of his incarnate being, so that they could venerate and worship him in his absence. It was then that a huge statue was cast in bronze. It was consecrated by Buddha himself, who infused it with the warmth and breath of his own breast. Since then, the image has been regarded as a true replica of Gautama, which justifies the miracles attributed to him. The image first stayed in the state of Arakan. During the reign of King Thibaw, a fire ravaged Mandalay, miraculously sparing the Mahamuni image. The only alteration was that the pure gold crown and the melting gold treasure were mixed together. It is reported that the whole thing weighed 5,450 ticals, 1 tical being equivalent to 14 grams. The restoration, in which French architects participated, lasted until May 1884. In one of the halls, paintings represent the history of the temple and the different stages of its construction inscribed in the history of Burma. The early risers will not miss the ceremony of the washing of the face of Buddha which takes place every morning at dawn, from 4:30 am.

Triangular gong room. The Burmese believe that if a man and a woman repeat the same word three times and at the same time when the gong rings, then they will get married. Next to the triangular gong room, another room houses six statues of men and animals. They are said to have the power to heal the sick who lay their hands on the part of the statue corresponding to their own suffering limb.

At first glance, Mingun is a small Burmese village, with its oxcarts and dusty dirt tracks. A dispensary overlooking the river, where old Burmese women dry garlic, floating bamboos waiting for their transit, and the biggest pile of bricks in the world: King Bodawpaya's unfinished project of the world's largest pagoda. Greedy for power, he only had time to build the pagoda's promontory where two lions, damaged by the 1838 earthquakes, stand at the entrance of the site. Since his death in 1819, the project has remained like this.

Dating from 1878, the pagoda is located at the foot of Mandalay Hill. It houses an image of Buddha carved from a single block of marble from the Sagyin quarries north of Mandalay, measuring nearly 10m. Its transport from the canal would have required the work of more than 10,000 men for two weeks. It is clearly for the impressive statue of Buddha that this pagoda is visited. As for the rest, we will surely have seen it elsewhere. At nightfall, the place is a little more animated and frequented by followers.

Nan Paya is a temple built of brick and covered with sandstone, contemporary of the Nagayon temple. Erected by King Manuha, damned king of Thaton, in the second half of the 11th century. Some claim that it was the place of detention of King Manuha, who was captured by Anawratha at the same time as he seized the Buddhist scriptures. The small temple is surrounded by Mon-style windows, then at the base of the tower, three windows gently illuminate the interior of the Nanpaya temple, a name literally meaning "temple, palace".

Going up the road after passing the Buddhist academy (on Taung yoe Lan), you will find the Soon U Ponya Shin pagoda. The monument dates back to the 14th century and housed, by the way, two relics of Buddha's teeth. The Buddha that it shelters is very beautiful, its floor tiles are colorful and shine with a thousand lights. But the interest of the site lies mainly in its location: the highest hill of Sagaing. From here, one has above all a superb panoramic view of the city and the other surrounding pagodas.