Ananda Temple

The Ananda Temple is recognizable by the tall, gilded sikhara spire that rises from its center, catching the sunlight and shining over the plains of Bagan. Completed in eleven hundred and five during the reign of King Kyansittha, this structure follows a cruciform plan with deep, vaulted corridors. Its walls house four nine-meter-tall gilded teak Buddha statues, each oriented to face one of the four cardinal directions.