PAGAN


Meaning of PAGAN in English

n.

Village, central Myanmar (Burma).

Extending along the left bank of the Irrawaddy River , southwest of Mandalay , it was founded 0441; AD 849 and was the capital of a powerful dynasty from the 11th to the 13th century. It was conquered by the Mongols in 1287. As a centre of Buddhist learning, it is a pilgrimage destination and contains Buddhist shrines that have been restored and redecorated and are in current use. Ruins of other shrines and pagodas cover a wide area. An earthquake in 1975 severely damaged more than half of the important structures and irreparably destroyed many of them. The village also has a school for lacquerware, for which the region is noted.

The Ananda temple, Pagan; its top portion, a restoration, was broken off in an earthquake in 1975

Van Bucher

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia.      Краткая энциклопедия Британика.