ARTS AND CULTURE

Known as the valley of 2,000 pagodas, the ancient city of Bagan is the highlight of any visit to Myanmar. Located on the vast plains of Upper Myanmar on the bend of the Ayeyarawaddy, its beauty stems not just from its gilded pagodas and stone temples but its murals. And the frescos at one temple alone – the Sulamani – are worth a second and even third trip to Bagan.

Anyone in Bagan can construct a pagoda. More than 10,000 structures were built between the 11th and 13th centuries, ranging from a commoner's pagoda to the king's stupa with its gilded pinnacle. Today, more than 2,000 pagodas still stand. Visit Bagan, once a capital of a great ancient empire, and discover the beauty and truth hidden within the historical monuments.

In the 1980s, the eleventh-century temple of Sdok Kok Thom in Sa Kaeo province wasn’t your typical tourist attraction. Back then, this Hindu monument, an...