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