Who Built the Thousands of Temples in Bagan, Myanmar?

Who Built Bagan’s Temples?

The thousands of ancient Buddhist temples spread across the plains of Bagan, Myanmar were built primarily during the Pagan Empire (9th–13th centuries), with King Anawrahta and his royal successors credited with commissioning the vast majority of the structures — a building campaign so ambitious it produced an estimated 10,000 temples over roughly two centuries.

The Pagan Empire and Its Sacred Capital

Bagan served as the capital of the Pagan Empire, the first unified kingdom of Burma. At its height, the city was one of the most densely constructed religious sites in the ancient world. Today, more than 2,200 temples, pagodas, and monasteries survive across a 40-square-mile plain along the Irrawaddy River — a landscape so otherworldly it rivals Angkor Wat and Machu Picchu in sheer historical scale.

The empire’s rulers viewed temple construction as both a religious obligation and a display of royal power. Each king sought to outdo his predecessor, donating land, labor, and wealth to fund ever-grander structures dedicated to Theravada Buddhism.

King Anawrahta: The Founder Who Started It All

King Anawrahta, who unified Burma in 1044 CE, is widely regarded as the architect of Bagan’s religious transformation. After converting to Theravada Buddhism and conquering the Mon kingdom of Thaton, he returned with Buddhist monks, scriptures, and artisans who fundamentally shaped Bagan’s temple-building culture. His reign set off a construction boom that his successors would continue for generations.

Two later kings — Kyansittha and Alaungsithu — each added iconic structures. The Ananda Temple, built by Kyansittha around 1105 CE, is considered Bagan’s most perfectly preserved and architecturally refined temple, still actively used for worship today.

What Makes Bagan Architecturally Remarkable?

Bagan’s temples span a wide range of architectural styles, blending Mon, Burman, and Indian influences. Some temples were hollow, designed for worshippers to enter and meditate inside. Others were solid stupas — sealed structures housing sacred relics, never intended for entry. The largest sealed stupa in Bagan, the Dhammayazika Pagoda, exemplifies this tradition with its distinctive five-sided design.

Inside many temples, elaborate murals and thousands of Buddha images were painted and sculpted, creating immersive devotional environments. The variety across 2,200+ surviving structures means no two temples are exactly alike.

The 2016 Earthquake and Ongoing Preservation

In August 2016, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Bagan region, damaging more than 400 structures and toppling dozens of spires and finials. The disaster drew international attention to the fragility of the site and sparked debate over restoration practices, with UNESCO and Myanmar’s government disagreeing on methods.

Bagan was finally inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019, a designation long delayed partly due to concerns over government-mandated relocation of local residents from the archaeological zone in the 1990s.

Why Is Bagan So Overlooked?

Despite its scale, Bagan remains far less famous in Western popular culture than comparable ancient sites. Decades of political isolation under Myanmar’s military governments limited tourism and international scholarship. As Myanmar cautiously opened to visitors in the 2010s, Bagan began attracting travelers — but political instability following the 2021 military coup has once again restricted access and overshadowed the site’s cultural legacy.

For those who have witnessed Bagan’s temples at sunrise from a hot air balloon or a temple terrace, the experience is described as one of the most profound on Earth — a silent, mist-covered plain dotted with thousands of ancient spires stretching to every horizon.