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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Shwesandaw Pagoda (1057) with crowds waiting for sunset, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> The pagoda's bell-shaped top rises from two octagonal bases which top five square terraces at the bottom. This was the first monument in Bagan to have stairways leading from the square bottom terraces to the round base of the pagoda itself. The smaller structure in front may be a tally temple. To keep count of the bricks used in the pagoda, one brick was set aside for every 10,000 used, and a small temple was built with the bricks that were set aside.
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Shwesandaw Pagoda (1057) with crowds waiting for sunset, Bagan, Myanmar

The pagoda's bell-shaped top rises from two octagonal bases which top five square terraces at the bottom. This was the first monument in Bagan to have stairways leading from the square bottom terraces to the round base of the pagoda itself. The smaller structure in front may be a tally temple. To keep count of the bricks used in the pagoda, one brick was set aside for every 10,000 used, and a small temple was built with the bricks that were set aside.

  • Villagers carrying paper mache statue of Aung San Suu Kyi at street festival, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> During our time in Myanmar it was obvious how popular and loved Aung San Suu Kyi was.
  • Paper mache figures at street festival, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Ananda Temple with reflections, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> This view shows the top of the temple for Michael-Hanne, which was too tall to get into the photo from yesterday, without losing some of the carvings I wanted to include.
  • Gargoyles, Ananda Temple, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Detail of carvings, Ananda Temple, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Detail of carvings-2, Ananda Temple, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Ananda Temple near sunset, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> Ananda Temple is a revered masterpiece of Mon architecture, and is the largest, finest, and best preserved of the Bagan temples. Built around 1105, this perfectly proportioned temple signals the stylistic end of the Early Bagan period (1044-1113) and the beginning of the Middle period. It was damaged in the 1975 earthquake and has now been restored.
  • Kassapa (South) Buddha, Ananda Temple, Bagan, Myanmar.<br /> <br /> This is one of two original buddhas dating to the construction of the temple in 1105 AD. The hand position is dhammachakka mudra, symbolising the Buddha's first sermon. <br /> <br /> The statue is carved of teak and covered with pure gold leaf. It attests to the skill of the carvers that the appearance of the buddha changes from sad to smiling depending on how far away you are. In this photo, I chose a distance where he was smiling :-). (best seen at larger sizes)
  • Temple at sunset, Bagan, Mayanmar
  • Bagan plains with Nwar Pya Gu Temple in the foreground, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Thatbyinnyu Temple (c1150) near sunset, Bagan, Mayanmar<br /> <br /> This is the tallest temple and is a transitional temple and among the first of the double storied temples, It has a projecting portico on the eastern side that breaks its symmetry.
  • Shwesandaw Pagoda (1057) with crowds waiting for sunset, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> The pagoda's bell-shaped top rises from two octagonal bases which top five square terraces at the bottom. This was the first monument in Bagan to have stairways leading from the square bottom terraces to the round base of the pagoda itself. The smaller structure in front may be a tally temple. To keep count of the bricks used in the pagoda, one brick was set aside for every 10,000 used, and a small temple was built with the bricks that were set aside.
  • Dhammayangyi Temple at sunset, surrounded by stupas, Bagan, Myanmar (the temple itself is best seen at larger sizes)<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.
  • Sunset view from Shwesandaw Pagoda towards the Irrawaddy River, Bagan, Mayanmar<br /> <br /> The clouds mimic the shape of the hills, which in turn mimic the shapes of the stupas. The river is in the smoke-filled depression before the start of the hills, and is barely apparent as a couple of bright spots in the image at the base of the hills (best seen at larger sizes).<br /> <br /> Paul Bellinger asked about how it was to travel in Myanmar. No problems, whatsoever. The people were wonderful, we encountered little or no bureaucracy, the accommodations were excellent and the food was great. We had arranged a private tour for just the 5 of us, and had an English-speaking guide and a driver at each location. This was not expensive at all and the guide knew where to take us for good photography. The local artisans were incredible, using historical techniques to create their masterpieces; these techniques have all but disappeared from Westernized cultures. Some pics of this will follow, but I am still pretty far behind on my editing, and am about to disappear on another adventure.
  • Stupas at sunset, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> As a general rule, a stupa is a solid structure that typically cannot be entered. They were constructed to contain sacred Buddhist relics that are hidden from view in containers buried at their core or in the walls. Temples. by contrast have open interiors that may be entered, and in which are displayed images (usually one in smaller temples, four or even eight in larger double storied temples) of Buddha as a focus for worship.<br /> <br /> For an example of a large temple, see Dhammayangyi Temple and read the story of the psychotic King Narathu here <a href="http://goo.gl/7RzK2">http://goo.gl/7RzK2</a>
  • Horse-drawn cart near Shwesandaw Pagoda at sunset, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Horse-drawn cart at sunset, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Horse-drawn carts waiting for tourists at Shwesandaw Pagoda at sunset, Bagan, Myanmar
  • Stupa with full moon, Bagan, Myanmar<br /> <br /> Friends I travelled with in Myanmar were at the conference with me in Basel and chastised me for not finishing posting the photos from our trip there. So I promised to work on them :-).<br /> <br /> I find it difficult to capture the wonderful light you get in the sky with a full moon and clouds. The dynamic range is huge, and our eye can accommodate this, but the camera cannot. This one was taken after sunset when there was still a little light in the sky. It is 'as shot', except that, in the next frame, I stopped down the f-stop to expose for the moon and then in Photoshop replaced the blown-out moon in this frame, trying for a natural look. Critiques and comments welcome!<br /> <br /> Other shots from the same night can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/5xYwv">http://goo.gl/5xYwv</a>
  • Moon rise at Shwesandaw Pagoda, just after sunset, Bagan, Myanmar

  • Darlene Jansen

    on March 12, 2013

    Great light & colors...fascinating!

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