Bagan Stupas

Timeline

1. c. 1050–1100Bagan · BaganIn the 11th century Bagan developed the typical Myanmar brick stupa: a bell-shaped tower, square base, tiered umbrella, and gilded decoration, blending the Indian stupa with local aesthetics.
2. c. 1121–1130Bagan plain · BaganIn the 1120s the royal family and nobility continued to fund stupa construction, bringing the density of stupas on the plain to its peak; some temples combined Buddha niches, murals, and scripture repositories, becoming the core of lay and monastic pilgrimage.
3. c. 1287Bagan archaeological zone · BaganOver two thousand stupa ruins survive at Bagan; despite earthquakes and repairs they retain religious function, forming the most important physical corpus for studying Southeast Asian brick Buddhist architecture.