Temples of Bagan, Burma

The temples of Bagan or Pagan (as anciently was known this place) are an extraordinary set of ancient Buddhist sanctuaries, which were built mainly between X century and XII century in the actual territory of Myanmar (Burma) on the eastern bank of the Ayerwady River to 145 Kilometers (90 miles) of Mandalay city.

The impressive religious complex of Bagan is composed by around 2200 temples and pagodas and covered an area of almost 26 square miles. These temples are a compendium of the architectural styles developed in the region during the historical period, they were constructed such as "Stupa with a relic-shaped dome", "Stupa with tomb-shaped dome", "Sinhalese-styled stupa", "North Indian model", "Central Indian Model", "South Indian model", "Mon model". Nevertheless, most structures were built using two kinds of buildings: the pagoda and the temple.

Both types of structures have their own goals. The pagoda was a symbol of adoration, whereas the temple served for worship and meditation. To build the structures the constructors used mainly bricks, sandstone and large-sized timber. Some metals like iron and bronze also were used but not extensively. The pagodas were constructed using a structural framing system, which consists of a systematically framed outer wall brick, strengthened with sandstone at intervals and a central hard core consolidated with brickbats and earth.