Htilominlo - 4 Things to Know Before Visiting

Ananda Temple is titled the "Westminster Abbey of Burma" and displays a fusion of Mon and Indian type of architecture. This temple is the main attraction in Bagan. Ananda Temple is like a museum. You can study all kinds of Myanmar arts here — architecture, stone sculpture, stucco, glazed plaques, terra cotta, wood carving, the artwork of blacksmith, etc. It is one of the key attractions in this area.

The Sulamani Temple is a Buddhist temple located in the village of Minnanthu in Burma. The temple is one of the most frequently visited in Bagan. It was built in 1183 by King Narapatisithu and is similar to the Thatbyinnyu Temple in design. It was a large, very elegant multi-storey structure from the late Bagan period. The temple was built during the reign of King Narapatisithu, very prosperous time in Bagan.

An orange-hued Buddhist temple that rises from the ground like a pyramid. Not only is Dhammayangyi one of Bagan’s best preserved and most visited places of worship, but its the biggest temple in town and can be spotted from afar. There are four entrances to the temple in total, each one home to a giant Buddha image. It is one of the historically and architecturally important places in this area.

The Shwegugyi temple and the nearby ruins of the former royal palace form an interesting juxtaposition of Bagan sites. According to a contemporary Pali inscription on stone slabs in the building the temple was built in 7 1/2 months in 1131 AD under orders from King Sithu I. The temple is reflective of a slow change in architectural style to a lighter, airier and more decorated form with a stress on the vertical and reminds one of the transitions between the Romanesque and Gothic styles in Europe

Thatbyinnyu Phaya was one of King Sithu I's finest legacies to the Bagan region. Although there are no contemporary inscriptions that identify him as the builder, reliable chronicles from the 14th century affirm his role in its construction. It is Bagan's tallest temple at almost 200 ft and represents a transition from the Mon period to a new architectural style. It was one of the famous temples in this area.

Amongst over 2000 surviving monuments in Bagan, this Pagoda is the one which is closely identical with the Maha Bodhi Pagoda at Bodhgaya in India. It was built by King Zeya Thein Kha in A. D. 1215. Just like at Bodhgaya, there are seven sacred places in the environ of this Pagoda. With the exception of slight differ¬ences in position, the seven sacred places are similar to those at Bodhgaya.