72) Monywa - One million Buddhas and we still did not have enough

Asia » Burma » Mandalay Region » Monywa
October 14th 2005

Published: November 15th 2005

The end of our stay in Mandalay was coming closer and we tried to organise our trip to Lake Inlay although we would really have wanted to visit another place around Mandalay, Monywa. But the taxi was very expensive for only two people and somehow we had not managed to find others who wanted to see the place. We were sitting in the hotel lobby when a French couple (Huguette and Jean-Marc) entered, ... Read Full Entry

Photos are below

Photos: 42, Displayed: 21

Representation of Mount Meru

Carved directly into the rock the entrance to this cave represents the cosmic mount Meru together with the seven concentric mountain ranges around it

Monkeys everywhere

Generations of monkeys have ruled over the caves here and if stories were handed down within this Simian family they would know many secrets, which at present they are not sharing with us

Coper mining

The government owned mine is further up. Here some poor families try to find their living among the leftovers

Thanboddhay entrance

Monk taking a picture of Burmese visitors in front of the two giant white elephants guarding the entrance to the Thanboddhay complex

Ancillary building in the Thanboddhay complex

Resembling palace architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries

House of tiger conservation

The tigers were portayed in so realistic colours that one almost thought they would start moving

Clock tower in the Thanboddhay complex

This building made us think of an Austrian baroque church

Thanboddhay watch tower

If you managed to climb the spiral staircase, you were rewarded with a stunning view of the complex

New pagoda in Thanboddhay

The Thanboddhay complex is far from finished, this pagoda was still being built when we were there

Thanboddhay pagoda roof

From the tip of the pagoda you can hardly guess its sheer dimensions

Thanboddhay Pagoda

The pagoda complex rises like a fairy tale temple from the dusty land

Different view

We were strongly reminded of a huge pastry decorated with numerous confectionery elements

Stephan is having a rest

This was just too much for Stephan. He wanted to take photos of all the 582363 Buddha statues, but did not now where to start

Thanboddhay Pagoda interior

Impression of a cathedral, however with Buddhas everywhere! The whole walls are covered with them

Buddhas with electric halo

You really can't stop progress...

Guardian Nat

Guardian Nat protecting the Thanboddhay Pagoda

Like confectionery

All the outside decoration is done in painted stucco and looks quite impressive even from close distance

Nicely decorated pond

In this little pool the fish and turtles are allowed to live free from harm

Megalomaniac

After a reclinning Buddha they are now building a huge standing Buddha. Maybe they could have used all this concrete for a more useful purpose

Reclining Buddha

With a length of 98 m it is one of the biggest reclining Buddhas in the world, but definitely not the most beautiful one

Petrol station Myanmar style

If you ever wondered why they use gallons in Myanmar just look at the picture

26th February 2006

Ruth
non-member comment

Fantastic narrative and beautiful photos
My husband and I spent 10 days in Myanmar last March and because he is handicapped, we did not have the adventurous travels outside of Yangon, Bagan and Mandalay. We had a wonderful time and the natives were all very helpful and pleasant. But I really enjoyed reading your adventures and looking at the wonderful photos you took. The inside shots in the caves were especially clear and colorful. Thanks for letting us enjoy you experiences.

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72) Monywa - One million Buddhas and we still did not have enough

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