2. Myanmar (Burma)

Mandalay

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The gilded Great Audience Hall of the Royal Palace, Mandalay, Myanmar
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The gilded Great Audience Hall of the Royal Palace, Mandalay, Myanmar

MandalayMyanmarBurmaRoyal PalaceGreat Audience Hall

  • Man polishing a marble slab, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Making gold leaf<br /> <br /> Worker standing on a platform, swinging a large hammer at a package of stacked gold to turn it into gold leaf, Mandalay, Myanmar (best larger).<br /> <br /> Gold is everywhere in Myanmar, from the huge gilded temples, to the pieces rubbed on the statues of Buddha. It is applied to lacquerware and used in medicine or as a cosmetic. Some even eat it, believing it to have health benefits. <br /> <br /> The process of making gold leaf dates back 5000 years to the Egyptians, and the techniques have remained largely unchanged since then. <br /> <br /> About 2 ounces of gold (~23 karat) are melted and put into a mold to form a bar. Nowadays the bar is repeatedly extruded through metal rollers that are brought closer and closer together until the gold forms a ribbon 1/1000th of an inch thick.<br /> <br /> The gold is then cut into 1 inch squares and 200 of them are stacked with parchment in between each square and the whole package is wrapped in parchment (called a cutch). The cutch is beaten and rotated until the squares expand to 4 inches. The 4 inch squares are cut into 4 more 1 inch squares and placed in a 2nd package and beaten until the squares expand to 5 inches each.<br /> <br /> The sheets are cut again into 4 pieces and stacked for the final beating which produces gold leaf 1/250,000th of an inch thick. At this point they are thin enough to float on air with the slightest breeze. The total beating time is several hours kept at a rhythmic pace of around 70 strokes/minute with a 15 pound hammer.....all in a closed room with no breeze and a temperature of around 100 degrees F.<br /> <br /> Finally, women cut the gold leaf into squares and package them between tissue paper in books of 50 to 100 squares. <br /> <br /> Other steps in the process can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/K3Jo1R">http://goo.gl/K3Jo1R</a><br /> <br /> 10/2/14 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • Gold pounder showing gold leaf stacked between tissue paper, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Women gold worker preparing stacks of gold leaf, King Galon Goldsmith, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • The gilded Great Audience Hall of the Royal Palace, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Spiral 78 ft lookout tower, topped by a seven tiered gilded pyatthat (multi-tiered spired roof). Royal Palace, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Captured bronze three-headed elephant (Airavata). Mahamuni Buddha Temple, Mandalay, Myanmar<br /> <br /> This bronze figure was captured from Angor Wat in Cambodia and brought to Myanmar in 1481. Airavata is a mythological white elephant who carries the Hindu god Indra. (it seems to have lost one of its trunks, and apparently can't heal itself)
  • Devotees touching the Khmer bronze statue of Shiva and the lion figure for their healing properties, Mahamuni Buddha Temple, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Family rubbing the three headed Khmer bronze elephant for its healing properties, Mahamuni Buddha Temple, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Mahamuni Buddha Temple, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Young woman rubbing the Khmer bronze three-headed elephant statue for its healing properties, Mahamuni Buddha Temple, Mandalaly, Myanmar <br /> <br /> Six Khmer bronze statues, including a three-headed elephant known as Airavata, and two warriors in the form of Shiva, are located in the Mahamuni Buddha Temple complex, besides the huge Buddha covered with tons of gold. These statues were originally war loot taken from the Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia in 1431. Devotees believe that the statues have healing qualities, and they rub parts of their bodies against the statues to cure themselves of various ailments and diseases.<br /> <br /> Other photos of the the bronzes and people rubbing them for their healing properties can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/2Oi9TA">http://goo.gl/2Oi9TA</a><br /> <br /> 11/2/14 <a href="http://www.allenfotowoild.com">http://www.allenfotowoild.com</a>
  • Carving detail #3, Shwenandaw Teak Temple, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Shwenandaw Kyaung (Teak Temple) Monastery
  • Carving detail #1, Shwenandaw Teak Temple Monastery, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Intricate carvings, Shwenandaw Kyaung (Teak Temple) Monastery, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Carving detail #2, Shwenandaw Teak Temple Monastery, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Shwenandaw Kyaung (Teak Temple) Monastery, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Intricate carvings on Shwenandaw Teak Temple Monastery, Mandalay, Myanmar (best appreciated at the largest sizes)<br /> <br /> Shwenandaw monastery, built in the traditional Burmese architectural style, is one of the finest examples of a traditional 19th century wooden monastery building in the country. It is known for its teak carvings of Buddhist myths, which adorn its walls and roofs and it is the last remaining structure of the original royal palace, built in the time of King Minton.<br /> <br /> The Shwenandaw Monastery was originally part of the Royal Palace in Amarapura. When the capital city was moved to Mandalay, the building was dismantled, transported to Mandalay and rebuild there as part of the new all teak Royal Palace in 1857-59. King Mindon used the building as his personal living quarters. After the King died, his son, King Thibaw, relocated the building to its current location outside of the Palace grounds, because he thought it was haunted by his father's spirit. It was converted into a monastery in 1880 and and dedicated to the memory of King Minton. <br /> <br /> The Royal Palace was the last royal palace of the last Burmese monarch. The monarchy ended in 1885 during the Third Anglo-Burmese war when the British entered the palace and captured the royal family. <br /> <br /> Other pictures of the wonderful teak carvings can be seen here: <a href="http://goo.gl/29eDGc">http://goo.gl/29eDGc</a><br /> <br /> 13/2/14 <a href="http://www.allenfotowild.com">http://www.allenfotowild.com</a>
  • View of the flooded Irrawaddy River from Sutaungpyei Pagoda, Mandalay Hill, Mandalay, Myanmar
  • Interesting atmospheric phenomenon seen from Mandalay Hill, Mandalay, Myanmar

  • Rick Willis

    on February 11, 2014

    Can see where some of all that work it going...

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