Ananda Temple – One of the Four Main Temples Remaining in Bagan

Located in Bagan, the Ananda Temple is one of the most beautiful and longest surviving masterpiece of the Mon architecture. Despite the 1975 earthquake which caused severe destruction to the temple, great efforts have been put into restoring the impressive structure to its former glory. The temple’s most significant feature is the gilded sikhara, the tower-like spire on top of the pagoda. You’ll be able to see this from miles away over the Bagan plains.

Legend has it that eight monks from India visited Bagan towards the end of the 11th century. They told the King about a legendary cave temple in the Himalaya mountains and created a vision for the King to see the temple and the snowy landscape. This vision impressed the King and resulted in his decision to replicate that particular temple in Bagan. It is said that after the Ananda temple was completed, the King executed the architects to ensure that no one could build a similar temple again.

There are four 9.5-metre standing Buddhas facing outward from the centre of the temple. These magnificent Buddha images represent the four Buddhas who have attained nirvana, namely Kassapa Buddha (South), Kakusandha Buddha (North), Konagamana Buddha (East) and Gautama Buddha (West). The Kakusandha Buddha image and the Kassapa Buddha image can be traced back to the early 12th century when the Ananda was built. On the other hand, the Konagamana image and the Gautama image are in the Mandalay style and were likely made in the 17th century after the originals were destroyed by a fire.

The walls of the corridor which runs around the central room contain three rows of niches that enshrine Buddha images in different poses. There are approximately 80 large sandstone reliefs showing scenes from the life of the Gautama Buddha some 2,500 years ago.

The most ideal way to travel around the pagodas in Bagan is with a horse cart driven by locals. There are over 2,000 temples and pagodas in Bagan and it is impossible to cover every single one of them. If you are interested in exploring a few temples, please don’t give the Ananda Temple a miss! It is located East of the old Bagan city wall.