The 6.8-magnitude quake struck the central area of Myanmar in which the Bagan architectural complex is located on 24 August. Myanmar’s government announced last month that UNESCO was helping to fund the cost of repairing the worst hit temples and work should be starting some time this month.
Religious affairs and culture minister U Aung Ko also noted that the government planned to seek donations from corporations and private individuals to help pay for repairs to other temples. Myanmar Earthquake Committee chairperson U Myo Thant explained that his agency was working with the relevant departments to check how resilient the temples would be to any future quakes or tremors.
About 2,200 of the estimated 10,000 religious edifices built in Bagan before the end of the 13th century are still extant. Many are in a good state of repair. Bagan Archaeological Zone is one of the top visitor draws in Myanmar. 12GO offers ticket reservations services for trains from Mandalay and Yangon to Bagan.
Myanmar committee to inaugurate quake proofing study in Bagan
News in Asia
The Myanmar Earthquake Committee has announced a programme to assess the resistance of the nation’s famous Bagan temples to quakes and earth tremors. The programme has been inaugurated in response to an earthquake last year which damaged 389 temples and religious structures.