View over the field of stupas in Pagan

View over the field of stupas in Pagan, originally uploaded by wufgaeng against censorship.

Bagan entered its golden age with the conquest of Thaton by King Anawrahta in 1057 A.D. From this time, until Bagan was overrun by Kublai Khan's forces in 1287 A.D., more than 13,000 temples, pagodas and other religious structures were built. Today, seven centuries later, approximately 2,200 temples remain standing. The river Irrawaddy has washed away nearly one-third of the original city area, thieves have torn apart many temples in search of treasures, while earthquakes and the ravages of time have reduced hundreds of others to great piles of crumbled stones.

Uploaded by wufgaeng against censorship on 30 May 06, 6.54AM PDT.