A day in Bagan

Bagan, Myanmar

Dawn - Ancient river plain

Cool air lies over the ancient river plain in the first light. I move small among the scattered medieval temples and pagodas. Bagan holds the world's densest concentration of them, and November to February brings the most comfortable weather, with cooler mornings before the heat.

Morning - Ananda Temple

Pale stone fills my view before Ananda, the holiest shrine on the open plain. I look up at the pale walls and take them in. King Kyan-Zit-Tha built it in the eleventh century, and its name comes from a Pali word meaning boundless wisdom.

Morning - Roadside tea shop

Garlic oil and crushed peanuts scent the Shan style noodles at this roadside tea shop. I eat them with the temple plain behind me. Shan style noodles are sticky rice noodles tossed with minced chicken or pork, and Burmese milk tea is a sweet strong brew sipped here in the cool morning hours.

Midday - Dhamma Yangyi Temple

Bright midday light spreads across the open plain in front of Dhamma Yangyi. I face the widest temple here and take in its size. King Narathu commissioned this massive structure, and its precise brickwork makes it the widest of all temples on the plain.

Afternoon - Sealed brick corridors

Heat sits on the brick mass as I stay small against the sealed corridors. I pause outside them and feel the warmth of the wall. These gloomy interior corridors were sealed up centuries ago for reasons lost to time, which gives the monument a fortress-like atmosphere.

Afternoon - Htilominlo Temple

Carved plaster and glazed terracotta plaques catch my eye on Htilominlo's red brick walls. I pause beside them and look along the multi-storey exterior. Built in the early thirteenth century in traditional Myanmar styles, it remains popular with travellers in the northern sector of the archaeological plains.

Afternoon - Central dry zone

Dry heat presses over the central dry zone where brick temples sit spaced apart. I cross the arid ground between them. Both men and women wear the longyi here, a wrap of cotton or silk knotted at the waist, suited to this arid climate.

Afternoon - That Byin Nyu Temple

White terraces rise over the trees high above me at That Byin Nyu. I stay tiny beneath the tallest building on the plain. This mid-twelfth-century monument, with soaring white-stuccoed terraces, can be spotted from almost anywhere across the dry basin.

Golden Hour - Shwe Zigon Temple

Gold light gathers on the gleaming gilt stupa beside me. I wear a silk longyi as the enclosure turns gold. Finished during the reign of King Anawrahta, this stupa is an important prototype for Burmese religious architecture, and the sacred enclosure guards relics of Gautama Buddha.

Night - Bagan temple skyline

Dark temples stand against the night sky and the plain feels cool again. I look across the skyline as a small figure among them. From November to February the mornings stay cooler and the days stay pleasant before the intense heat sets in.