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Bagan - Quiz
Contributed by: Collier
  • 1. Which museum is the only one located in the Bagan Archaeological Zone?
A) The Bagan Archaeological Museum
B) The Nyaung U Museum
C) Anawrahta's Palace
D) The Mandalay Historical Museum
  • 2. What is considered the Rosetta Stone of Burma, housed in the Bagan Archaeological Museum?
A) The Zamani records
B) The Tharabha Gate inscriptions
C) The Myazedi inscriptions
D) The Anawrahta tablets
  • 3. In what year was Anawrahta's Palace rebuilt?
A) 2016
B) 2017
C) 2003
D) 2018
  • 4. Which institution performed 3D documentation in Bagan using LiDAR?
A) The University of Mandalay
B) The Zamani Project
C) The Bagan Archaeological Society
D) The UNESCO Heritage Foundation
  • 5. What event prompted the Zamani Project to offer its services for monument documentation?
A) A government renovation project
B) An earthquake in 2016
C) The expansion of the airport
D) A massive flood in 2017
  • 6. How many monuments did the Zamani Project document in Bagan?
A) 8
B) 12
C) 20
D) 50
  • 7. Which of these is a city that shares a sister city relationship with Bagan?
A) Yangon
B) Siem Reap
C) Bangkok
D) Cape Town
  • 8. What is the primary gateway airport to the Bagan region?
A) Mandalay Airport
B) Bagan Central Airport
C) Nyaung U Airport
D) Yangon International Airport
  • 9. Approximately how long is the flight from Bagan to Yangon?
A) 30 minutes
B) 80 minutes
C) 120 minutes
D) 40 minutes
  • 10. How long does it take for the express ferry to travel between Bagan and Mandalay?
A) 9 hours
B) 6 hours
C) 18 hours
D) 40 minutes
  • 11. What is the main industry supporting Bagan's economy?
A) Fishing
B) Automotive manufacturing
C) Tourism
D) Agriculture
  • 12. What specific handicraft industry is Bagan famous for?
A) Pottery
B) Silk weaving
C) Lacquerware
D) Wood carving
  • 13. In the heyday of Bagan, what was the estimated maximum population?
A) 100,000
B) 500,000
C) 200,000
D) 50,000
  • 14. Where does the majority of the current population in Bagan reside?
A) The Archaeological Zone
B) New Bagan or Nyaung-U
C) Old Bagan
D) The riverside docks
  • 15. What is the administrative district of the Bagan archaeological zone?
A) Mandalay District
B) Nyaung-U District
C) Yangon District
D) Irrawaddy District
  • 16. What is the ethnic background of the majority of native residents in Bagan?
A) Karen
B) Bamar
C) Khmer
D) Lao
  • 17. How many days does the train journey take from Yangon to Bagan?
A) At least 18 hours
B) At least 24 hours
C) At least 6 hours
D) At least 8 hours
  • 18. Which monument is located in the list of sites documented by the Zamani Project?
A) The Modern Railway Station
B) Ananda Monastery
C) The Nyaung U Hotel
D) The National Museum
  • 19. Why is tourism infrastructure in Bagan considered modest?
A) Due to past boycotts against the military government
B) Due to a lack of electricity
C) Due to strict building codes
D) Due to high frequency of earthquakes
  • 20. Where are permanent dwellings restricted?
A) New Bagan
B) The outskirts of the airport
C) Old Bagan
D) Nyaung-U
  • 21. What is the primary function of a hollow gu-style temple in Bagan?
A) Storing royal treasures
B) Military defense
C) Housing for monks
D) Meditation and devotional worship
  • 22. How many basic design styles of gu temples are mentioned?
A) Four
B) Five
C) Three
D) Two
  • 23. Which design features essentially one main entrance?
A) Five-face
B) Hybrid-face
C) One-face
D) Four-face
  • 24. The one-face design style evolved from which century's Beikthano?
A) 11th century
B) 12th century
C) 2nd century
D) 7th century
  • 25. The four-face design style evolved from which century's Sri Ksetra?
A) 18th century
B) 11th century
C) 7th century
D) 2nd century
  • 26. What are the main architectural features of the gu temples?
A) Open courtyards and stupa spires
B) Pointed arches and vaulted chambers
C) Circular walls and mud bricks
D) Flat roofs and wooden pillars
  • 27. When did vaulting become widespread in India?
A) Late 12th century
B) 11th century
C) 7th century
D) 2nd century
  • 28. Which 18th-century ruler attempted to build a spacious vaulted chambered temple?
A) King Bodawpaya
B) King Anawrahta
C) King Narapatisithu
D) King Kyansittha
  • 29. Why did King Bodawpaya's temple project fail?
A) Shortage of laborers
B) Loss of vaulting and keystone arching knowledge
C) Lack of building materials
D) Earthquake damage during construction
  • 30. What floor plan is considered a unique innovation of Bagan?
A) Pentagonal
B) Triangular
C) Hexagonal
D) Circular
  • 31. The pentagonal design plan was developed to venerate which figure?
A) Gautama Buddha
B) Ancient spirits
C) The local king
D) Maitreya Buddha
  • 32. Which temples are mentioned as examples of the pentagonal design?
A) Shwezigon and Dhammayangyi
B) Dhammayazika and Ngamyethna
C) Sulamani and Gawdawpalin
D) Ananda and Thatbyinnyu
  • 33. How many Buddhas had already appeared prior to the inclusion of the fifth Buddha in pentagonal temples?
A) Four
B) One
C) Five
D) Three
  • 34. What is another common term for a stupa?
A) Palace
B) Temple
C) Pagoda
D) Monastery
  • 35. Where did the early Pyu stupa designs originate?
A) Cambodia
B) Central Thailand
C) Northern China
D) Andhra region, India
  • 36. What does the stupa shape symbolize in the Buddhist cosmos?
A) Mount Meru
B) The ocean
C) A lotus flower
D) The sun
  • 37. What did the umbrella mounted on the brickwork represent?
A) Royal power
B) The rain
C) The world's axis
D) Divine protection
  • 38. What is the Pali word for the hemispheric body of a Ceylonese stupa?
A) Harmika
B) Stupa
C) Anda
D) Bilu
  • 39. What type of guardian figures were a favourite theme in the Bagan period?
A) Lions
B) Elephants
C) Dragons
D) Ogres (bilu)
  • 40. Which pagoda is considered one of the earliest examples of the Bagan stupas from the 9th century?
A) Mingalazedi
B) Dhammayazika
C) Shwezigon
D) Bupaya
  • 41. What replaced the harmika on top of the rings in the later stupa design?
A) A lotus bud
B) A gold umbrella
C) A stone balustrade
D) A square box
  • 42. What shape did the lotus bud design eventually evolve into?
A) Cylinder
B) Bell
C) Banana bud
D) Hemisphere
  • 43. What were often depicted on the terra-cotta tiles of the pagoda galleries?
A) Historical battles
B) Agricultural scenes
C) Buddhist jataka stories
D) Floral patterns
  • 44. Which of these is an example of a pagoda featuring rectangular terraces as a base?
A) Bupaya
B) Sri Ksetra
C) Shwezigon Pagoda
D) Andhra Temple
  • 45. What material was often used to cover the brickwork pediment?
A) Marble
B) Granite
C) Sandstone
D) Stucco
  • 46. What form did the Bagan stupa take as it developed by the 11th century?
A) Bell-shaped
B) Flat-topped
C) Rectangular
D) Pyramidal
  • 47. The design of Bagan-era stupas served as a prototype for what?
A) Later Burmese stupas
B) Pyu palaces
C) Ceylonese pagodas
D) Indian temples
  • 48. What feature supported several ceremonial umbrellas on an original Ceylonese stupa?
A) A lotus bud
B) A pedestal
C) A harmika
D) A shaft
  • 49. What are the dimensions of the Bagan Archaeological Zone?
A) 20 km × 10 km
B) 15 km × 12 km
C) 10 km × 5 km
D) 13 km × 8 km
  • 50. The Bagan Archaeological Zone lies on the bend of which river?
A) Salween
B) Chindwin
C) Sittaung
D) Irrawaddy
  • 51. How far is Bagan from Mandalay?
A) 700 km
B) 13 km
C) 8 km
D) 290 km
  • 52. How far is Bagan from Yangon?
A) 700 km
B) 430 km
C) 290 km
D) 800 km
  • 53. Bagan is located in the middle of which climatic region?
A) Rainforest Zone
B) Dry Zone
C) Coastal Zone
D) Monsoon Zone
  • 54. Which mountain range shelters Bagan from rain?
A) Arakan Mountains
B) Rakhine Yoma
C) Shan Hills
D) Himalayas
  • 55. What does the 'gu' (ဂူ) category of temple represent?
A) Solid temple
B) Wooden temple
C) Hollow temple
D) Floating temple
  • 56. What does the 'stupa-style' category of temple represent?
A) Open temple
B) Solid temple
C) Residential temple
D) Hollow temple
  • 57. What happened to the thousands of less famous, out-of-the-way temples in Bagan over time?
A) They were converted into museums
B) They fell into disrepair
C) They were demolished for a golf course
D) They were renovated by the government
  • 58. During which period did the state-sponsored systematic renovations of Bagan's temples take place?
A) Konbaung period
B) Modern era
C) Pagan period
D) 15th century
  • 59. Approximately how many earthquakes were recorded in Bagan between 1904 and 1975?
A) Over 400
B) Over 1,000
C) Exactly 100
D) Fewer than 50
  • 60. In what year was Bagan finally designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
A) 2019
B) 2005
C) 2010
D) 1990
  • 61. How many temples were damaged by the earthquake on 24 August 2016?
A) Nearly 400
B) Exactly 100
C) Over 1,000
D) Fewer than 50
  • 62. How did major stupas like Htilominlo and Shwezigon fare during the earthquake in March 2025?
A) They were completely destroyed
B) They were severely damaged
C) They required immediate UNESCO intervention
D) They did not incur structural damage
  • 63. What is the meaning of the Pali name Arimaddanapura?
A) The City that Tramples on Enemies
B) The Golden Land
C) The Bronzed Country
D) The City of Ten Thousand Temples
  • 64. Which kingdom was the first to unify the regions that would constitute Myanmar?
A) Myinsaing Kingdom
B) Khmer Empire
C) Nanzhao Kingdom
D) Pagan Kingdom
  • 65. What is the meaning of the Pali name Tattadesa?
A) Parched land
B) City of gold
C) Land of monks
D) Bronzed country
  • 66. According to Western scholarship, who founded Bagan in the mid-to-late 9th century?
A) The Mongols
B) The Pyu people
C) The Khmer people
D) The Mranma (Burmans)
  • 67. Which academic discipline was NOT listed as a specialization in Bagan's scholarly studies?
A) Astrology
B) Marine Biology
C) Phonology
D) Alchemy
  • 68. Which religion did NOT coexist in Bagan during the Pagan period?
A) Theravada Buddhism
B) Shinto
C) Tantric Buddhism
D) Native animist traditions
  • 69. What was the primary material used for the massive construction projects in Bagan?
A) Marble
B) Brick
C) Granite
D) Limestone
  • 70. In what year did Bagan cease to be the capital of Burma?
A) 1297
B) 1301
C) 1277
D) 1287
  • 71. What is the classical Pali name for the city referring to its dry climate?
A) Tampawaddy
B) Tampadīpa
C) Pugan
D) Thiri Pyissaya
  • 72. How large is the walled core of Old Bagan?
A) 1,400 hectares
B) 500 hectares
C) 140 hectares
D) 8,000 hectares
  • 73. What happened to the fourth wall on the western side of Old Bagan?
A) It was moved to expand the city
B) It was dismantled by invaders
C) It was never actually constructed
D) It may have been washed away by the river
  • 74. Which city has a walled area of 1,400 hectares?
A) Beikthano
B) Śrī Kṣetra
C) Otein Taung
D) Old Bagan
  • 75. What does the name Otein Taung mean?
A) Royal palace
B) River bank
C) Pottery hill
D) Ancient temple
  • 76. When was the large temple between the two mounds at Otein Taung restored?
A) 1999
B) 1989
C) 2000
D) 1995
  • 77. What is the characteristic type of pottery found at Otein Taung?
A) Clay plate
B) Porcelain vase
C) Stone urn
D) Sprinkler pot
  • 78. What were the earthenware tubes found at Otein Taung likely used for?
A) Irrigation
B) Toilets
C) Kiln chimneys
D) Structural pillars
  • 79. What tool found at Otein Taung is used by holding it inside a pot while beating the outside?
A) Clay stamp
B) Earthenware anvil
C) Metal chisel
D) Wooden paddle
  • 80. What was the possible original purpose of the four tanks near Otein Taung?
A) Water storage for irrigation
B) Fish farming
C) Clay pits
D) Defensive moats
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