Borobudur, impressive as it is, is a reconstructed set of ruins which have long been abandoned by any living community of Buddhist; Myanmar's pagodas are alive with devotees in a country that, whatever esle it is, is Buddhist.
Borobudur was completed in 825 A.D., 13 centuries after the enlightenment of Buddha; some of Myanmar's pagodas (such as Shwedagon, in Yangon) date back to the fifth century B.C., within a century of Buddha's life.
While Borobudur stands as an isolated reminder that Buddhism was once an important feature of Javanese life; Myanmar is thick with pagodas, with as many as 2000 in the city of Bagan.
The oldest and most important pagoda in Myanmar is without question the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon. The pagoda sits on Singuttara Hill, about three kilometers from center of Yangon.
Shwedagon pagoda dates to about the time of the Buddha. Temple lore says that two Burmese merchants received eight of his hairs as relics during a visit to see him. The merchants gave half the hairs away, but all eight hairs eventually ended up in pagoda, which was built to store those hairs.
Visitors today do not get to see that original pagoda; it has long since disappeared with use. Extension and renovations have replaced the original work. Form has given way to function.
Today the pagoda's main stupa is over 100 meters high and date only to 1774. The stupa and temple complex are decorated with gold and precious stones. And uncounted masses of pilgrims visit daily.
Bagan (formerly Pagan) is the main tourist destination in Myanmar. The city was the capital of the first empire of the ethnic Myen (or Burmans). Bagan provides perhaps the richest historical and archaeological site in Southeast Asia.
Bagan sits on the eastern bank of the Ayeyawaddy (formerly Irrawaddy) River. Beside transportation on the river, Myanmar's ancient capital was the hub of a road network which gave Bagan access to a large region of fertile plains.
There are over 2000 pagodas and monuments in the 42 square kilometer of the old city - most dating from between the 11th and 13th century. The Myen began migrating into Myanmar from the north in about 500 A.D. Under King Anawrahta, who ruled 1044-77, the Myen succeeded in conquering the rest of the region's population - including the Mon, the people who had until them dominated the southern portions of Myanmar.
The Myen had adopted Buddhism before arriving in Myanmar - the Mahayana Buddhism popular at the time in North India. But Anawrahta was converted to Theravada Buddhism by a monk from the Mon capital of Thaton. Anawrahta was so affected by his new beliefs that he sent to bring back the scriptures - the Buddhist Tripitaka - from the Mon king, Manuha. The Mon king declined. Anawratha invaded Thaton and brought back, not just the scriptures, but the Mon King Manuha himself and 30,000 ethnic Mon as slaves to build temples and pagodas that made Bagan one of the wonders of the world.
The Myen brought the Mon royal family, their scholars, and their craftsmen to Bagan: the Myen managed to simply move the greatness of Mon culture to Bagan.
Thus began the golden era of Myanmar's history: an era where art and architecture were emphasized; an era which lasted over two centuries. The construction of pagodas grew rapidly; they seemed to simply spring from the earth. Anawrahta's example was followed by those who followed him to the throne - mostly notably one of his sons, Kyanzittha, whose reign of 28 years from 1084 to 1112 saw the construction of thousands of religious monuments.
On July 8, 1975, and earthquate damaged or destroyed over than half of the pagodas in Bagan. The Buphaya Pagoda, which hand been looked to by the area's fishermen and sailors for 900 years, fell into the river and washed away.
The construction of temples lasted through the reigns of 11 monarchs. But in 1287 Kublai Khan sacked Bagan and forced King Narathihapate into submission.
Since then, the cumulative neglect of several centuries has taken its toll on Bagan's pagodas. But the remains there today can still facinate visitors. Bagan remains Myanmar's devotional soul.
Today Bagan is, in reality, little more than an archaeological site - less well known than Angkor Wat in Cambodia, but often compared to the Khmer temple-city for its archaeological importance.
About 13,000 monuments are thought to have been built during Bagan's golden era. Few remain: war, time and the changing course of the Ayeyarwady river have have taken their toll.
The tall, bell-domed Buddhist stupa was the primary architectural theme of Bagan. The structures were intended originally to contain sacred relics of Buddhist saints.
Among the Bagan area's most important pagodas is the Shwezigon Pagoda. It is a huge, golden, jewel-encrusted, terraced pyramid topped with a traditional Mon bell-shaped stupa. The 1975 earthquake extensively damaged the Shwezigon pagoda.
The pagoda is surrounded by legend. Among other pieces of its history, the pagoda's site - four miles northheast of Bagan in the town of Nyaung Oo - is thought to have been selected by a white elephant.
The Shwezigon Pagoda is a model of architectural perfection, as pagodas go in Myanmar. A smaller pagoda sits at each of Shwezigon's four corners. An annual festival at the Shwezigon is held in October or November each year.
The Omniscience, Thatbyinnyu Pagoda, is the highest temple in Bagan. It is 200 feet high. It was built by Alaungsithu (AD 1113-1167). The Thatpyinnyu temple was built (1144), at a time when Mon influence was in decline and a Myen architectural style had evolved. Its is filled with spacious halls. The building served as stupa, temple, and monastery.
Myanmar is unique: it provides its visitors living history. The Pagodas of Myanmar are worth seeing.