Ananda Temple (Burmese: အာနန္ဒာ ဘုရား) is a Buddhist temple located in Bagan, Myanmar. The temple has over 900 years of history, it is said to be an architectural wonder in a fusion of Mon and adopted Indian style of architecture, also a popular tourist attraction.
There are numerous shops at the entrance of the temple, selling all kinds of handicrafts related to Buddhism.
Ananda Temple was built in 1105 AD, during the reign (1084–1112) of King Kyansittha (ကျန်စစ်သား) of the Pagan Dynasty.
The temple was damaged in the earthquake of 1975 but it has been fully restored and is well maintained by frequent painting and whitewashing of the walls.
The name Ananda of the temple is derived from the Venerable Ananda (Sanskrit: आनन्द), Buddha's first cousin, personal secretary, one of his many principal disciples and a devout attendant.
The name Ananda of the temple is derived from the Venerable Ananda (Sanskrit: आनन्द), Buddha's first cousin, personal secretary, one of his many principal disciples and a devout attendant.
According to folklore, eight monks gave King Kyansittha a graphic description of a legendary cave temple in the Himalayas where they had meditated. The king then used the description to build Ananda Temple.
After the monks completed the temple construction, King Kyansittha got the architects (monks) killed in order to retain the uniqueness of the temple and ensure that another similar structure was not built by them anywhere else.
