Description of the attraction
Ananda Buddhist Temple was built in 1105 by the pagan king Chanzita (1084-1113). It is one of the four surviving temples of Bagan from that time. It is shaped like a cross and is surrounded by several terraces. At the top there is a small pagoda with a shikhara - a pyramid-shaped pommel covered with a layer of gold. Shikhars are a distinctive architectural feature of almost all pagodas in Myanmar.
In the Ananda temple, you can find four statues of Buddha, which are installed opposite the portals made in different facades, oriented to the cardinal points. The sculptures of the Buddhas are facing the person entering the temple. Two of these statues are exact copies of the original ones destroyed by fire in the 18th century.
The temple is a masterpiece of architecture. During its construction, details were used that are characteristic of Indian temples and buildings of the ancient Mon civilization. Ananda Temple is often compared to the most famous sacred buildings in Europe. The locals themselves believe that if a tourist has not seen the Ananda temple, then he has not seen anything in Bagan. Historians believe that the Ananda temple is very similar to the Patotamya sanctuary, dating back to the X or XI centuries.
In guidebooks, Ananda is sometimes called the "Museum of Stones" - and for good reason. Its inner corridors, running along the perimeter of the pagoda and leading believers and tourists to the central hall, are decorated with more than 1,500 niches with bas-reliefs. Sculptors unknown to us depicted scenes from the life of Buddha on them. Other must-see temple decorations include rows of glazed panels with iconographic images.
Ananda Temple is famous for the fact that under its roof are preserved the footprints of the Buddha, which every believer in Myanmar dreams of seeing.
