Shopping in Bagan
What to buy and where to shop in Bagan? It must be a question for many people who travel to Bagan. Bagan is not a shopping paradise. If you want to come here to buy something, you may be disappointed. However, Bagan has many special shopping places, such as stalls in the pagoda and some handicraft workshops. There are many handicrafts that can be as gifts for friends. The famous handicrafts in Bagan are lacquerwares. It can be said that Bagan is the home of lacquerware in Myanmar. There are many stalls selling handicrafts around many temples, and the most popular ones are sand paintings. There are also wood carving workshops that can be seen everywhere along the road. You can find interesting wood carvings. Of course, longyi and thanakha with ethnic characteristics are also worthy of buying.
What to buy in Bagan?
No.1 Handicraft of Bagan – Lacquerwares
Bagan is the most prestigious hometown of lacquerware in Southeast Asia with some of the finest lacquerware workshops in the world. According to historical records, lacquerware was originated in Bagan from the 12th to the 13th centuries. Since then, Bagan has become the birthplace of lacquerware in Myanmar and even Southeast Asia. There are large number of handicraftsmen in Bagan who are engaged in the traditional crafts of making lacquerwares. Although the procedure for making lacquerwares is complicated, in their eyes, these lacquerwares are as unique as the pagodas in Bagan. So, lacquerware is a good choice as a gift for friends.
- Where to shop in Bagan?
Golden Bagan Lacquerware Shop
Bagan is the most prestigious hometown of lacquerware in Southeast Asia and has the most exquisite lacquerware workshop in the world. Golden Bagan Lacquerware Shop is a famous and more expensive one in lacquerware shops of Bagan. The quality of the lacquerwares in this store is good and many of them are handmade. The making process of lacquerware is complicated and requires many processes, but it is very memorable.
No.2 Handicraft of Bagan – Sand paintings
You can see vendors selling sand paintings around the famous pagodas in Bagan. The craftsmen of the sand painting sometimes sit on the ground and hold the canvas carefully to draw a beautiful picture with a brush stained with sand. Sand paintings are special souvenirs in Myanamar.
No.3 Handicraft of Bagan – Wood carvings
The wood carvings in Myanmar are very famous. The most precious ones are handicrafts making of teak, black wood or rosewood. The shape of the crafts and the texture of the wood are natural. The engravers create a life with a quiet, perfect inner world, giving the wood carvings vitality.
- Where to shop in Bagan?
Shop for wood carvings - Shwe War Thein Handicrafts Shop
This shop is the most popular souvenir shop in Bagan, where you can buy a lot of beautifully crafted souvenirs, including puppets, wood carvings, lacquerware, bronzes and jewelry. The services are very warm and good. They will not let customers have a strong sense of pressure to buy things.
No.4 Handicraft of Bagan – Longyi
The costumes of the Burmese are similar to those of the Yunnan Yi people. Both men and women wear a skirt in the lower body. The men’s skirt is called the cage base, and the skirt is called Tamane. Men wear skirt with dark colors mostly in plaids. Yangon has sale of longyis everywhere, generally 4,000 Kyats, the best will be 25 dollars.
- Where to shop in Bagan?
Nyaung U Market
Nyaung U Market is a local market in Bagan. It is located in the northeast of Nyaung U Town. This market mainly sells traditional local costumes, flowers, betel nuts and fruits. If you want to buy traditional cloth of longyi in Bagan, Nyaung U Market is a good choice.
No.5 Handicraft of Bagan – Thanakha
Thanakha is a distinctive feature of the culture of Myanmar. Seen commonly applied to the face and sometimes the arms of women and girls, it is used to a lesser extent also by men and boys. In Myanmar, people with thanakha on their faces can be seen everywhere on the street. Thanakha is milled with the trunk of the thanakha tree, added with water to form a paste on the face, which can moisturize the skin and protect the sun. It is used by local men, women and children. It is available at roadside shops and some guesthouses, which is about 500 kyats.
- Where to shop in Bagan?
Nyaung U Market is a local market in Bagan. It is located in the northeast of Nyaung U Town. This market mainly sells traditional local costumes, flowers, betel nuts and fruits. If you want to buy Thanakha in Bagan, Nyaung U Market is a good choice.
What to buy and where to shop in Bagan? If you want to buy lacquerwares as souvenir in Bagan, you can visit Golden Bagan Lacquerware Shop. If you want to buy sand paintings, you can buy them around famous pagodas in Bagan. If you want to buy wood carvings, you can buy them in Shwe War Thein Handicrafts Shop. If you want to buy longyi and thanakha, you can shop in Nyaung U Market.