By Francoise Legendre

Comparable to Angkor, by its gigantism and a great number of temples, the city of Bagan still counts today more than 800 buildings out of the 5,000 which were constructed between the eleventh and fourteenth century. The peak of the Kingdom of Bagan was attained under the very reign of its founder, Anawrahta, who edified the first pagoda, Shwezigon, the Golden Pagoda. 
In the third century B.C, the great King Ashoka, (272-232, B.C) of Mauriya Dynasty converted to Buddha's doctrine and sent missions to Southeast Asia, to spread the Teachings of the Great Wise Man.
 

Among the Tibetan-Burmese tribes, which swept in following the flow of Ayeyarwaddy, Sittaung and Thanlwin rivers, seemed to be the Pyus, coming from the Oriental Province of India.  They formed the first Myanmar civilization, the vestiges of which still remain in their capital, Pyay, where we can find fragments of Buddhist writings in Pali. These Pyus were the followers of Buddhism, some of Pali tradition (Theravada), others of Sanskrit tradition (Mulasarvastivada), but their kings and the ruling class belonged to Hindu religions.  Their art was influenced by the Indian Art of Orissa (East of India). There are very few information about the Pyus, before the eighth century.  The Ayeyarwaddy basin at that time was under the Chinese State of Nan-Tchao, bordering Myanmar and later on (after half a century), under the Chinese Tang Empire. 

Established in the delta region of Ayeyarwaddy, the Mons had for their capital Thaton (Ramanya Desha), east of Motetamet Gulf. Until the eleventh century, date on which Mon countries were subjected to the Khmers of Angkor, before being that of the Thais, Bago and Thaton were thriving ports, keeping commercial nations with India on the one hand, and with Southeast Asia, on the other hand.
Their territory largely extended towards the eastern frontier of present Myanmar. We can also find Mons called Lawas, up to Nakhon Pathon, which is the principal town of the kingdom of Suvannabhumi (the Golden Land) established at the time of Indian King Ashoka, according to the legend.  

It is the Mons of the Suvannabhumi who created the powerful empire of Dvaravati, south of Myanmar. We can find their trace at Nakhon Pathon and north of Siam at Lamphun, capital of the independent kingdom of Haripunchai the only one of all Mon states which could resist the incursions of Khmers and Thais.

Bagan, Capital of Myanmar Monarchs
 
Descending from the Sino-Tibetan borders of Central Asia, the Myanmar people of Nomadic tribe and animist pastors initiated to agriculture mixed with the rice growing Mons and Pyus. Corning from Northern India and the Tibetan plateau, they introduced Mahayana Buddhism. In 849, the Myanmar chief Pyinbya (846-878) reunited villages around Bagan into a large city surrounded by an enclosure. In the following century the Myanmar usurper Nyaung U Saw Yahan (931-964) belonging to the sect of Aris, made tantricsm the official religion of Bagan.
Following over a century of usurper kings, and he himself one of their sons, the 42nd king of Bagan dynasty, Anawrahta (1044-1077) inaugurated a long dynasty, which brought glory to Bagan. He converted the Buddhism of Hinayana,, under the influence of Shin Arahan, who came from Thaton. Bagan became the centre of a powerful empire, to which the temples and pagodas built by the great king bear witness. Today he still reincarnates in spirits during festivals, and pwe shows.
At the beginning of his reign, Anawrahta built the pagoda "Myingaba" called "The saddle of the Horse", to expiate his guilt as he had killed his predecessor and half brother Sokkada.  It is a dome laid on a circular terrace, whose form is influenced by the Buddhism of Southern India (Theravada).The best historians of Buddhism agreed that the tartaric Influence spread by the followers of Theravada (Tantricsm that came from Tibet) penetrated as far as Central Myanmar. 
 

The Stone images of Hindu gods are placed back to back in each angle of the terrace.  The pagoda is also known under the name of Maha Peinne, ( in Pali Vinayaka) that is to say Genesha Pagoda. 
With a human body and the head of an elephant, Genesha is one of the most popular deities of India. He is Chief of Gana, who removes obstacles. The Crystal Palace Chronicles tell us that Anawrahta brought to Bagan the captive King Manuha, as well as his ministers, scholars and  especially 30 copies of Pitaka, well-known under the name of Tripitaka, the three buckets concerning the three parts related to the doctrine, to the monastic disciplines and to the life of Buddha.
The Pitaka Taik or Library was constructed in 1058, and contained the precious texts.  Opened to the East side, it is a square building 20 metres high, covered with five superimposed roofs, topped by a pinnacle which resembles that of Mandalay Palace.  Each angle of these five roof is decorated with plaster sculpture peacocks.  The perforated windows that one finds in several places of Bagan bear geometric designs or the wheel of law or an ogre head down, marked in a circle.  This pagoda could have been repaired in 1783, by King Bodawpaya of Konbaung Dynasty.

Mon influence in Bagan 

The Mon architecture brought by Manuha is characterized by simple forms with corridors, monastic windows and gloomy rooms with decorations and paintings, by archways in rows of brick, horseshoes mortared with mud and glue, It is the beginning of the Mon style which would later dominate Bagan during more one century.The Prototype is the Manuha temple constructed in 1059 by the king himself during his Captivity.  Opened to the West, It is a building of pyramidal form that marks the allegorical representation of physical and moral discomfort of the prisoner.  It contains three images of the seating Buddha (to the east) and one of a reclining Buddha.
At Myingaba near Bagan, between 1060 and 1070 was constructed Nanpaya. This temple with entrance to the East and projecting porchway was the residence of the captive king.  A brick and stone temple, it is topped by a Sikhara, resembling those of Northern India. The outside is decorated with monastic windows, framed with stones and surmounted with a cornucopia of Nalanda style, ( North of India) with two makara back to back surrounding Kyak Sri. From each of the windows, runs the decoration of a Kirtimuka  frieze, that one finds at the angle of temple pillars.  In the base there is a frieze of Hamsa (Goose in Sanskrit).

 
The interior is a shrine, supported by four pillars in which can be found six Bramas, two of which are seated, and a Brama with three crowned heads, holding a bud of lotus in each hand.  Above flows a frieze of Kala spitting out pendants.  It Is a decoration of big pearls, typical of the Sassanide materials, whose style was brought from Persia by Sogdians, who migrated East and which we can find as far as Central Asia, China and also at Afrasiab near Samarkand. Pendants and garlands are symbols of wealth.  The stripes, medallions, squares, all decorated, have also a religious and mystic meaning. One can find them in Southeast Asia, at Jandi Sewu in Java.  The pillars are decorated with foliated triangles, hiezes with foliation and an animal in the middle. 
The temple is not bramanic but dedicated to Theravada.  Here the captive king under the appearance of Brama offers flowers in honour of Buddha. The wild goose Hamsa (mounted by Brama), Is the emblem of Mon people.

Lokananda or "Joy of the World" is a cetiya, constructed by Anawrahta in 1059 to shelter the relics that came from Ceylon.  It has two accessible octagonal terraces and above three smaller ones, all provided with crenellated parapets.  Overlooking Ayeyarwaddy river, it served as a landmark for the boats coming from  India and Ceylon.  The low pyramidal base evokes the cosmology of the Indians, who imagined the axis of the world as a high mountain towering above the flat earth.   

On the ground, one could for merely read the footprint of Buddha, the oldest ever found in Bagan (presently displayed in the museum).  Two stories with inscriptions remained in place: one dated 1231, has an interesting inscription in two languages, Pali and Myanmar. 

The Golden Pagoda 
Shwezigone, the Golden pagoda described by Marco Polo ( who would have collected information about it, which he later dedicated in his book "The Division of the World"), was constructed by Anawrahta in 1059 and completed by his successor Kyanzittha (1083-1113). Shwezigon marked the period when the entire Myanmar was under the control of the great king. The latter founded the new imperial city of Pagan and established the Buddhist, Law of Dhamma with which all his people should comply.
A cylindric structure laid square terraces is said to contain a tooth and a frontal bone of Buddha.  Together, it is surrounded by a cone with circular mouldings and covered with a parasol, studded with diamonds and rubies.  The central stupa is surrounded with 30 stupas topped by small Parasol, representing the elements which when acquired lead to the awakening of Buddha.
All round the stupa, branches covered with golden removable metal leaves jingle when the wind blows to remind the believers of the holiness of the place.  At the right side of the entrance stands the gilded wooden statue of Buddha.  The basement of the terraces is decorated with glazed terra-cottas, illustrating the previous lives of Buddha.The precinct - and this is unique - shelters effigies of the 37 nats (in Pali, Natha means "good and protecting Spirit") of the Myanmar Olympia, that people decorate and adorn at festivals.

This pagoda fulfils Anawrahta's desire to convert his subjects. "These men will not come for the new faith, let them come and worship their ancient gods, and they will be conquered by the right law". On each side of the Pagoda stand small temples that contain statues of Gupta’s style glorifying Buddha.

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