Bagan, Myanmar
Portrait of a young boy at Shwezigon Pagoda, Hyuang Oo, Myanmar
Re comments about the stuff on his face: Thanaka is a cosmetic paste made from the ground bark from the Thanaka tree that is widely used in Myanmar, mostly by women and children. It smells something like sandalwood and has a number of beneficial properties including protection from sunburn, preventing acne and promoting a smooth, beautiful skin.
Shwezigon Pagoda is one of the oldest of ancient Bagan. It was completed by King Kyanzittha in 1089 to house a tooth relic and hairs of the Buddha. It is the most important reliquary shrine (meaning built to house a Buddha relic) in the Bagan area. Pilgrims from throughout Burma travel here each year in the Burmese month of Nadaw (November-December) to celebrate. This festival includes both elements of pre-Buddhist Nat worship (Nats are pagan anamistic spirits) and Buddhist themes. Shwezigon is thus a center of pilgrimage for both the archaic shamanic culture of Burma and the newer religion of Buddhism.
Other photos from around the temple can be seen here: http://goo.gl/Wb5hH
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