Personal creation from visual materials collected during my travel Myanmar • Burma (2016)
Lovers of Buddha statues are in for a treat in Monywa, a town about 140 kilometers northwest of Mandalay in Myanmar (formerly Burma).
Buddhas everywhere. A 90-meter large reclining Buddha (one of the largest in the world) next to a 167-meter standing Buddha (also one of the largest in the world) for lovers of gigantism.
For those looking for a little more privacy, there is a place in the city where hundreds of sitting Buddhas, almost identical, are lined up in the shade of an undergrowth.
It must be said that Myanmar is a very religious Buddhist country, or so the Burmese have for a long time leaders who prefer to garnish the country with Buddhas rather than giving freedom to their people. It is possible that all these Buddhas distract the Burmese from material things ... Still, these hundreds of Buddhas sitting in their undergrowth are very astonishing.
These Buddhas are near the two gigantic statues which attract many more tourists and devotees.
Other statues of Buddha are gathered in the courtyard of the Aung Sakkya pagoda, still near the huge standing and lying Buddhas.
Moniwa is a trading center located about 150 km from Yangon. This city is not yet equipped to accommodate many tourists despite the few undeniably remarkable sites it has, such as the Thamboddhay pagoda which in the eyes of a Westerner has a strong "disneyland" character, the immense reclining Buddha near an imposing standing Buddha and the site of the 1000 Buddhas ...
An undergrowth with hundreds of almost identical Buddhas sitting cross-legged waiting for their devotees under their parasols. Strange vision that these statues under crowned trees, pipals or fig trees of the pagodas (bodhi trees), the tree under which Buddha reached the nirvana in Bodghaya in India (see the film in this series).
But in Monywa, there are more than these Buddhas. There is a huge standing Buddha, the third largest in the world, there is the great reclining Buddha, and there are hundreds of Buddhas in the courtyard of a temple on the road to the great standing and reclining Buddhas.
Music:
Disclaimer: Despite its appropriateness, copyright issues prevent the use of burmese traditional music in "Monywa, Buddhas and more Buddhas • Myanmar ", hence the use of royalty-free music. Despite our careful selection, some might regret this decision, which is necessary to avoid potential lawsuits. Although difficult, this decision is the only viable solution.
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