Page 218 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

216 BAGAN AND AROUND BAGAN
5 SUNSETVIEWING TEMPLES
Sitting high on the terrace of an ancient temple watching the sun set over the plains below is
one of Bagan’s essential experiences, although the decision in 2013 to close many of the
temples’ upper terraces for conservation purposes means that the choice of sunset-viewing
perches is now somewhat limited – and the most popular places can get unbearably crowded.
You’ll find that horse-drawn carriage drivers can often point you in the direction of
lesser-known viewing spots, but it’s often best not to follow their instructions as some temples
have delicate embellishments that could easily be damaged if you climb on top of them. In
reality, you’ll find the sunsets are often just as enjoyable when you’re seated beneath one of
the nearby acacia trees.
The classic place to watch the sun go down is the Shwesandaw Paya (see p.214), which is
strategically located close to many of Bagan’s landmark monuments, though it can get
appallingly busy – make sure you arrive early. The same can be said for the almost equally
popular Shwegugyi Paya (see p.213) in Old Bagan; nearby, largely crowd-free alternatives
include the Mahazedi stupa and the Mimalaung Kyaung (see p.212). The Shweleiktoo
Pagoda offers just as good views, and is usually a bit less crowded. In the Central Plain, the
spacious terrace atop the Pyathada Paya (see p.217) offers plenty of room and fewer crowds,
although it’s now being steadily discovered by the coach-party brigade. Another popular spot
is the well-positioned Buledi, a large stupa off Anawrahta Road between Nyaung U and Old
Bagan, although again space is at a premium (to reach it, take the dirt road just east of the
Alotawpyi-gu-hpaya, following the sign to “Bulethi/Sulamani”).
One final option is the government’s eyesore Bagan Viewing Tower (daily 6am–10.30pm;
K5000). It’s overpriced, rather too far from the major landmarks and not nearly as atmospheric
as the temples, although it does have the advantage that, being on it, you won’t have to
look at it.

Mara (at the top of the arch behind the image on the right-hand side); Mara himself is
seated grandly on top of a white elephant.
Dhammayangyi Paya
• Follow the dirt track off Anawrahta Rd opposite the track leading to the Ananda Paya • Daily 8am–6pm
A brooding presence amid the monuments of Bagan’s Central Plain, the huge
Dhammayangyi Paya is cloaked in sombre legend. Built by the homicidal King Narathu
(ruled 1167–71), the Dhammayangyi’s construction was planned as a grandiose act of
royal merit-making, which, Narathu apparently hoped, would be sufficient to wipe out
the bad karma accumulated following the murder of his father (see box, p.213),
brother and wife. In the event, Narathu himself was assassinated just two years after
taking the throne by an eight-man hit squad despatched from India by the unhappy
father of his murdered bride.
Modelled after the Ananda Paya, the Dhammayangyi is instantly recognizable not
only for its sheer size but also for its distinctive outline. The temple is unique among
later Bagan monuments in that it lacks an upper storey, compensating instead with a
series of no fewer than six steep terraces (rather than the usual three) placed on top of
the shrine, giving it a uniquely ziggurat-like appearance. The collapse of the original
shikhara-style spire that formerly crowned the edifice further accentuates the building’s
pyramidal profile.
The exterior is notable for its superb masonry – it’s said that Narathu ordered the
bricks to be fitted together so tightly that not even a needle could be inserted between
them (and lopped off the hands of any workmen who failed to achieve the necessary
close-fitting finish). The stark interior boasts a few traces of murals around the four
entrance porches, but is otherwise bare and faintly melancholy, with high corridors
and the squeaking of bats and cooing of doves in the darkness overhead. There was
originally a double ambulatory, although the entrances to the inner ambulatory have
been mysteriously sealed up. One tradition says that this was an act of revenge against