2. Myanmar (Burma)

Bagan, Myanmar

Ancient temples, ancient stupas, ancient pagodas, buddhas, frescos, street food, local people, sunrise, sunset, oxen, Bos indicus, horse drawn carts, moon rise, lacquer ware production
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Dhammayangyi Temple at sunrise, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> This is most massive temple in Bagan, with the best brick work. It was built by King Narathu (1167-70), who, by all accounts, was pretty psycotic. According to legend, Narathu oversaw the construction of the temple himself. The bricks were laid without mortar, and the masons were executed if a needle could be pushed between the bricks they had laid. Narathu never completed the construction because he was assassinated before its completion, so there is no top section to the temple
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Dhammayangyi Temple at sunrise, Bagan, Myanmar

This is most massive temple in Bagan, with the best brick work. It was built by King Narathu (1167-70), who, by all accounts, was pretty psycotic. According to legend, Narathu oversaw the construction of the temple himself. The bricks were laid without mortar, and the masons were executed if a needle could be pushed between the bricks they had laid. Narathu never completed the construction because he was assassinated before its completion, so there is no top section to the temple

  • Stupa at sunset, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Spectacular sunset with temples, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> I couldn't decide whether to post this version of the sunset with its spectacular colour palette, which puts more emphasis on the sky, or the more close-up version of the same scene, which puts more emphasis on the temples, seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/8wjWP">http://goo.gl/8wjWP</a><br /> Which one would you have chosen?
  • Temples with multi-coloured sunset, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> The alternative post.
  • Dhammayangyi Temple at sunrise, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> This is most massive temple in Bagan, with the best brick work. It was built by King Narathu (1167-70), who, by all accounts, was pretty psycotic. According to legend, Narathu oversaw the construction of the temple himself. The bricks were laid without mortar, and the masons were executed if a needle could be pushed between the bricks they had laid. Narathu never completed the construction because he was assassinated before its completion, so there is no top section to the temple
  • Dhammayangyi temple at sunrise-2, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Bagan plains at sunrise, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> The various layers in the plains are best seen at larger sizes.
  • Farmer working in field and zebu (bos indicus) hitched to a plow in front of a stupa, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Farmer plowing his field with zebu (bos Indicus), Bagan, Myanmar
  • Farmer plowing his field with zebu (bos Indicus)-2, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> Zebu are very beautiful oxen, and seem to be quite gentle. I love that they use so many traditional ways of doing things in Myanmar.
  • Farmer plowing field with oxen (Bos indicus)-3, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Oxen (Bos indicus) plowing field, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> These gentle, beautiful oxen are the main means of ploughing fields, and they also haul carts full of produce and other goods. They are commonly seen throughout Myanmar and I always enjoyed seeing them.<br /> <br /> For a couple more views of the oxen and the surrounding countryside, plus a statue of Buddha, see here: <a href="http://goo.gl/Swx9n">http://goo.gl/Swx9n</a><br /> <br /> Again, so sorry for the multiple repeat comments yesterday; I noticed that I wasn't the only one that experienced the same problem, so I'm guessing it was a smugmug glitch.
  • Distant view of oxen ploughing field seen from Pyathada Pagoda, Bagan, Myanmar (the oxen can be best seen at the largest size)<br /> <br /> The distant structure is Sulamai Temple (1181).
  • Sulamani Temple (1181) seen from Pyathada Pagoda, Bagan, Mynamar. (It is the largest, most distant one)
  • Old Bagan temples with pointed radiating arches, Myanmar<br /> <br /> The origin of the pointed radiating arch, whose use is a striking feature of Bagan architecture, is controversial. It was never used in India and China, where civilization was more advanced than in Myanmar and where other framing systems, such as the semi-circular arch, were used. After a careful analysis of framing systems, it seems that the pointed arch was conceived independently in lower Myanmar and improved on in Bagan. <br /> <br /> Although the construction technology of a semi-circular arch is much more difficult than that of a pointed arch, the architects of Bagan, accidentally discovering that the pointed arch is much stronger. They used voussoired (wedge-shaped) bricks of multiple tiers, topped off at the apex with a sandstone slab. In this photo you can see the staggering of the vaults to achieve a reduction in weight, materials and labour.<br /> <br /> The pointed arch is the greatest technological achievement in Bagan architecture, but they can only be used to create fairly narrow enclosed spaces.
  • Old temple with radiating pointed arches and a Buddha statue with hands in 'touching the earth' position, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> The position of the hands in Buddha statues have significance. A mudra in Buddhist iconography is a body posture or gesture with special meaning. The hands on this statue in the earth witness position, also called the Bhumi-sparsha ("gesture of touching the earth") mudra. This mudra represents unshakability or steadfastness.
  • Woman carrying baskets of fodder, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> Some of you commented that you felt sorry for the oxen ploughing the field (yesterday's photo). The humans are also 'beasts of burden', as in this photo of an older woman who I watched cutting fodder for the oxen (see the scythe in her hand at larger views), and carrying the heavy baskets across the field and dumping the load by a tree. She then took a well deserved smoke break (see here: <a href="http://goo.gl/naxUv">http://goo.gl/naxUv</a>) before carrying the empty baskets off in search of more fodder. I think the 'smoke break' photo is the better of the two photos from the technical point of view, but it makes a better narrative to present this one first. Comments?<br /> <br /> There is a natural cycle here: the oxen are labouring to prepare the field for growing food for humans, and the humans are labouring in other fields to collect food for the oxen.<br /> <br /> Both photos of the woman were taken from the upper level of Pyathanda temple. You can see some nice photos of this temple by clicking on the above link.
  • Women taking a smoke break, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> She is on her way to a new field to gather more fodder in the baskets to feed to the oxen.
  • Woman working in the field, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> Just before I took this picture, her baskets with heaped full of vegetation she had been cutting with a small scythe and she could barely lift the weight.
  • Pyathada temple, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Locals sitting on upper deck of Pyathada Pagoda (13th C), Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> I took the photos of the woman with the fodder-filled baskets from this upper level of the temple.
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