Mahamuni Pagoda

On the outskirts of Mandalay  is perhaps one of Myanmar's most religious monuments. The Buddha  is said to have been sculpted directly in the presence of Gautama Buddha  during a visit to the kingdom of  Arakan. Gold leaf offerings are applied in homage to the  Buddha with so many layers that his body is now quite out of proportion with a truly large heart and enormous hand.    Here, members of the public purchase their small square inch of gold leaf and wait in turn to apply it . It's a truly moving experience. 

Ananda Temple, Bagan

Pagan, now Bagan was once a royal city, the heart of a great kingdom, founded by Thamoddarit in the early 2nd century.  King Pyinbya created a walled city back in 849  with 12 gates and a moat - only one gate still stands today. The time from 1044  to 1287 were the greatest years of Bagan  which sadly ended  when the Mongols invaded. 

The main approach to Ananda Temple 

A Buddha relief wall 

 Perhaps the most stately temple is the  Ananda  shaped like a cross inside with four different Buddhas facing east, west, south and north.  Also the same name as the ship I was about to board on the Irrawaddy river or  as per the more recent name change, the Ayeyarwady River.

Double bodied lions

Bamboo scafolding  used throughout Asia

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 The four different Buddhas with different hand poses.

The Reclining Buddha, Yangon

An ingenious way to surpass the largest sized Buddha is to depict it in a reclining position   - Northeast of the Schwedagon Pagoda,  this 260 foot long reclining Buddha is now housed in a metal roofed shed to protect it from the elements. 

There are 108 characters depicted on the Buddha's feet  representing three worlds .

The approach to this Buddha is down a tiny road with a totally unpretentious entrance, not what one would expect.