January 16, 2021
Bagan’s Ananda Temple is getting ready to reopen in post-COVID-19 abiding by the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health and Sports, according to U Zaw Win Cho, a member of the pagoda’s board of trustee.
Thermal cameras are installed, and hand washbasins are set up at the temple’s west gate as the entrance to the temple.
The temple will accept 50 visitors at a time, the visitors will look inside the building clockwise, and south and east gates are arranged as exit routes.
The Ananda Temple built by King Kyansittha in 1105 AD is in a cruciform with several terraces leading to a small pagoda at the top covered by an umbrella known as hti, which is the name of the umbrella or top ornament found in almost all pagodas in Myanmar. The temple houses four standing Buddhas, each one facing the cardinal direction of East, North, West and South.
The temple is surrounded to the north-east with Min O Chan Tha Temple, to the north-west and west with Tharabha Gate, Thatbinnyu Pagoda, Pitaka Taik and Shwegugyi Temple, to the south with Dhammayangyi Temple.
The surrounding pagodas will also accept the visitors in the post-COVID-19 abiding by the guidelines set by the Ministry of Health and Sports if the Bagan-NyaungU Ancient Cultural Zone is reopened. — Ko Htein (KDP) (Translated by Kyaw Zin Tun)
