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00:54 • Former hospital founded by Aw Chu Kin, creator of tiger balm

01:48 • Thanboddhay pagoda

Two statues of majestic huge white elephants guard the entrance to this extraordinary pagoda. The pagoda site includes, besides the pagoda itself, a former hospital which was created by the founder of the famous "Tiger Balm", the Chinese born in Burma Aw Boon Haw and his brother Aw Boon Par.

The Aw Boon Brothers Hospital

This old hospital is in the same style as the pagoda itself ... A sort of large pink candy box with columns resembling candy. A bit like Hansel and Gretel's house ...

At the entrance of this building, the statue of the founders of the clinic, inventors of tiger balm.Beyond the kitsch side of this building, a hospital in Burma at the beginning of the 20th century was a real blessing for the inhabitants of Monywa.

Thanboddhay Pagoda

A pagoda dating from the middle of the second millennium would have been built here. The pagoda that can be admired today is much older. It dates from the 1930s and contains hundreds of thousands of Buddha statues of all sizes.

This pagoda is really out of the ordinary by the extravagance of its statues and especially its colors. It would have been built by the architects of Walt Disney that it would not have been more exuberant ...

This is obviously a Western tourist's take on a religious building. The Burmese see it very differently.

It is a working pagoda, and no offense to tourists, Buddhist devotees flock there in droves.

For us Western tourists, this is an opportunity to take pictures out of the ordinary. In any case, a place that is really worth the detour ...

about the place, Monywa:

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 ...

Spoken comments in the film: 

This house located at the entrance of the Thanboddhay pagoda in Monywa in Myanmar is a former hospital created by the sons of Aw Chu Kin, creator of Tiger Balm.

The Thamboddhay pagoda was built between 1939 and 1952. More than half a million statuettes of Buddhas adorn the interior and exterior of this remarkable pagoda for its colors and its architecture giving it a Disneyland look for visitors western tourists. This does not detract from the fervor of the local devotees for whom this effervescence of shimmering colors is probably a mark of deep respect for the divinity.

Music:

 - YouTube video library - Deck the Halls

 - YouTube video library - Greenery

 - YouTube video library - Hitchcockian

Disclaimer: Despite its appropriateness, copyright issues prevent the use of burmese traditional music in "Monywa, Thanboddhay pagoda • 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.