Myanma Ancient Cultural Heritage Zone, Bagan, has over 2,000 religious edifices, mostly pagodas, stupas and temples. Out of those, the Ananda Temple, built by King Kyansittha in the 11th Century AD, is the most famous for its artistic and stylistic architectural designs.

The foundation plan of the Ananda is in the form of Perfect Greek Cross, which is in much contrast to others in Bagan.The 4 special chambers for the use of the Buddha are also a singnificant point of the strange foundation plan. In each of the chambers, one standing Buddha image, which is huge and is of carved with wood is a display of exquisite art.

It is appreciable that in Bagan era, such huge wood logs were carried and carved to be kept in vertical position. Each Buddha image is 31 ft high and its pedestal is 8 ft high. The diameter of the head of the image is 5 ft. So, these images are the longest among other standing Buddha images in Bagan.

By standing at the very first entrance to the prayer hall, you can pay homage to the whole Buddha image without raising your head.

Especially, the standing Buddha image straight to the north archway seems to have stable face when you are near. The face gradually changes and seems to smile when you go backwards one step after another from the image. This proves how intelligent those people of Bagan era were and smart in the art of carving.

Systematic management for lighting at the Ananda is so impressive that visitors have to have high appreciation for the standard of architecture of the time.

There is a space, which can give direct natural light to each face of the standing Buddha image. Although the images are in the innermost part of the temple, pilgrims and visitors can clearly pay homage to the image because of such idealistic lighting spaces. It seems to be managed for the pilgrims to show strong devotion and concentration while they pay homage to the Buddha

There are two inner corridors at the Ananda while you go around the temple, you may surely remark on the fact that Bagan people have excellent thoughts for lighting and creation of proper ventilation.

Because natural light can enter not only through two tiers of windows around the Ananda but also passages between two corridors.

Morever, three straight walls with same size of spaces are systematically built to get the light directly into the innermost part of the temple.

Inside the special chambers of the standing Buddha images and on the walls of the corridors, niches are made in which, Buddhology statues made of sandstone are kept. They stand as the best stone sculptures found in the ancient buildings in Bagan. Especially, sculpture of Nativity scene of the future Buddha is very outstanding. By observing this proportionate statue, you can study the costumes in Bagan era. Sculptures which are skilful creations of the proper styles of characters taking part with right measures and propotions depict how wonderful and high the standing of that time art was.

Every sculpture is made up of only one-sandstone. You can clearly pay homage to the Buddha images, placed inside the niches of the inner corridor because of the natural light getting into the temple.

There is a pair of Buddha’s footprints drawn on two stone-slabs in the prayer hall. It is the masterpiece of early Bagan era.

In this programme, we have taken a closer look on wood carving, lighting and proper ventilation and magnificent art of stone sculptures found at the inner part of the great Ananda Temple.

We will give you glimpses of stucco floral designs and masonry art, excellent brick arrangement as well as detail handicraft of carving and blacksmithy highly decorating the illustrious Ananda Temple in Bagan, Myanma Ancient Cultural Heritage Zone as the next presentation.