The most popular answer has been Buddhism.
Buddhism was introduced to this region sometime around the 11th century. A series of kings made Theravada Buddhism a kind of state religion and put the country's resources to work along the Irrawaddy River in west central Myanmar, building what was to become Bagan, a grand center of Buddhist studies over the next two centuries.
Bagan, now a protected archaeological site about the size of Manhattan, contains over two thousand monument temples built during this period. Almost every temple is made of bricks and concrete and, after a thousand years, are still standing tall and strong. Some are the size of a one car garage - others the size of a basketball arena. Each is an operating temple open to the public to worship or explore. Many have stairs to the rooftops to check out the breathtaking views of the incredible landscape. Temple spires sprout from the plain off into the horizon like a vast sculpture garden.
It's a large area to explore. The two most popular ways to do it are by bicycle or horse drawn cart. They both have their advantages.
The first day, I shared a horse cart with Nadine, a Swiss traveler I met on the bus ride from Inle Lake. So for K6,000 we got our own personal driver for the day.
Though charming, soon after giddy up, we realized how slow this thing was going to be. An older guy on a bicycle passed us on the road with ease.
Oh well. At least we have shade.
The Bagan plain is a mostly flat area with mild weather, low lying brush, and a big blue sky. A zig zag of dirt trails connects all of the temples, the Burmese call payas.
As we rolled up to the first one, we were greeted by a friendly local man who showed us all around the temple and gave us some history.
I thought to myself. Well this is a really nice tour, and I know we paid a small fee for entrance to this place. But, there are about two thousand of these temples, and a private tour of each one just can't be provided for nothing. I wonder if he is going to ask for money. Will this happen at every paya?
Sure enough, on our way out, he asked us to look at some paintings his family did, many in the style of the ancient paintings found in the temples. They were actually pretty nice.
I remembered the lesson I learned at Inle Lake with the cigars. If I like them, I should buy them now. Otherwise I may lose the opportunity.
I negotiated what seemed like a fair price for a couple of paintings and then jumped in the horse cart to head to the next stop.
I said to Nadine, "You know, at the next stop I bet they'll have these same paintings."
Sure enough, the next stop had a bunch of people selling local art. And guess what, I saw the same paintings. Tons of them. Priced about 20% of what I had just paid.
So much for lessons learned.
As it turns out, Bagan is chock full of artists. Locals have realized there is money in selling swag to tourists. Many of them are quite talented. But it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Way too much.
It is difficult to get a moment of peace at some of the stops. Some vendors will follow you around the temples and are extraordinarily persistent.
I did buy a fair number of art pieces, but I had to disappoint scores of people who seemed desperate for a sale.
The next day, I rented a bicycle and, even though I had to battle sand drifts and direct sun, I got to see a much quieter side of Bagan. Lonely dirt paths branched off in every direction each one leading to another temple. Some are maintained by families that live on the grounds, but many are completely deserted. It was refreshing after the first day to be completely alone in such a special place.
I don't think I have ever seen so much ancient history packed with such density into one place. I kept thinking that any one of these temples would be a central tourist attraction in any other city. But this place has thousands of them.
It's nearly impossible to visit them all... but fun to try.
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