Solitary refinement: Bagan, Myanmar's architectural city of wonders
Its distance from the tourist trail affords visitors to the Myanmese city of Bagan a wonderfully private perspective on one of the world’s most beautiful historic sites
As a fierce afternoon sun finally begins to dip, work on the Ananda Temple begins again. The heat here in Bagan, 200 kilometres south of Mandalay, in central Myanmar, is stifling. Still slightly groggy from a much-needed afternoon siesta, I wander into the main temple compound through the cool, porticoed entrance.
Recently awakened from their own collective slumber, teams of local labourers saunter from the shadows armed with buckets and brushes. Two Indian archaeologists, decked out in shirts and traditional longyi, walk slowly around the temple's exterior, deep in conversation as they inspect bamboo scaffolding that clings to the weathered walls like a series of flimsy matchstick towers.
RESTORING ANANDA
On my first afternoon in Bagan I've arranged to visit an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) team that has been based in Ananda's grounds since 2012. Restoring the temple to its former glory, the team is surveying, repairing and uncovering secrets in one of Myanmar's oldest and most important religious structures.
"This heat reminds me of home," says a perspiring Amalesh Roy as he proffers a clammy hand. "Still, it's better than the weather I had when I was studying back in England."
