yelwinoo's PhotoBlog

BOTAHTAUNG PAGODA

2010-03-19T02:27:23Z

APOLOGY FROM BLOGGER Dear fans and friends. Yes, it has been couples of month that I could not update my blog. My very standing of this blog space is to share photos taken around Burma (Myanmar). For the sake of surviving, I am out of Burma for 5 months. And honestly, I have been way too busy to update my blog on regular basis. More importantly, I do not want to share photos without description and background. On the other hand, I could not invest enough time to write those stories and facts. Bagan photos are ready but not the descriptions. I have been receiving new fans and came across with their appreciating comments. Some fans even sent me personal mails to upload new photos. So today is for you, my friends. Some photos did not hit my norms, but the… it’s just another fool proof of me. Thanks for visiting my blog and I will try to do more. Enjoy!!! BACKGROUND According to Burmese tradition, it was on a hillock at this site that one thousand military officers of the king were drawn up as a guard of honor to welcome the landing in Burma of the relics of the Buddha brought over from India more than two thousand years ago. An account from ancient histories of the building of the Pagoda states that the Buddhist King Sihadipa gave one of his ministers a sacred hair from the Buddha’s head and two body relics and this minister, renowned for his goodness and faith, consulted a famous religious leader and, on his advice, chose the Botahtaung Mount on the bank of Yangon River at a distance one thousand tars (7,000 cubits) in a South-Easterly direction from the Shwedagon Pagoda and there enshrined the sacred relics. WORLD WAR II The pagoda was completely destroyed on 8 November 1943 when the RAF, which was bombing the nearby Yangon wharves also hit the pagoda. The pagoda was left in “blackened ruins“. REBUILDING Rebuilding of the pagoda started on the same day that the country gained independence from the UK: 4 January 1948. Part of the excavation process, a relic chamber was discovered. The chamber in size 20′ x 20′ and 6 in height gradually decreasing in size towards the top and appearing like a huge pot placed up-sided down to cover completely what lay inside. In the very center of this treasure vault was discovered a wonderful stone casket in the shape of a pagoda with a diameter of 23 ins, and 39 ins, high. Encircling this stone casket were figures of nats carved out of literate and evidently placed there to act as sentinels. One of the terracotta plaques excavated from the relic chamber bears an image of the Lord Buddha and though affected by age and moisture it is exceptionally important. On the reverse side are inscribed characters which are very close to the ancient Brahmani script which came from Southern India. When the gold Pagoda was lifted up, a tiny gold cylinder of 3/4 ins. length with a diameter of 5/12 ins. was found and in this tiny cylinder were found two small body relics each the size of a mustard seed and what is believed to be a Sacred Hair of the Buddha. This hair was coiled round and fastened with a little lacquer on which were traces of gold plaster. STRUCTURE The new pagoda is of original design and in height 131 ft. 8 ins, on abase of 96 ft. x 96 ft. The main attraction is the stupa’s hollow inside, which has a mirrored maze-like walkway lined with glass showcases containing many ancient relics and artifacts that were sealed inside the earlier pagoda.

THE GREAT THATBYINNYU

2009-09-17T01:05:04Z

Visit my personal blogspace to explore more photos of THATBYINNYU TEMPLE.

The Worshiper

2009-09-15T09:08:39Z

A Burmese lady worshiping at Ananda Temple of Bagan, Myanmar...

For a Lunch

2009-09-11T06:20:16Z

A local cotton wear vendor trying to sell traditional cotton wear. A candid shot created in Bagan, Myanmar. For more photos, click here.

The Grand Ananda

2009-09-05T10:18:46Z

The shots created back in June during my road trip to Bagan... LOCATION: BAGAN, MYANMAR MADE: NIKON D90 LENS: SIGMA 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM

Cathedral from Post-war

2009-08-26T01:07:49Z

It’s such a beautiful cathedral and yes it is among those Top 200 buildings on the Yangon City Development Committee’s Heritage List. Precise location of the cathedral is Upper Pannsodann Road, Kantawlay, Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma). More Photos at www.yelwinoo.com

Htilominlo Temple

2009-08-12T11:12:54Z

More photos at www.yelwinoo.com

Falling Leaflets

2009-06-28T05:33:56Z

a great symbol of Summer in Myanmar (Burma)... More Burmese Photo at YELWINOO.COM

LEGENDARY SUNSET

2009-06-25T06:52:56Z

BAGAN an ancient city in the Mandalay Division of Burma. Formally titled Arimaddanapura or Arimaddana (the City of the Enemy Crusher) and also known as Tambadipa (the Land of Copper) or Tassadessa (the Parched Land), it was the ancient capital of several ancient kingdoms in Burma. It is located in the dry central plains of the country, on the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River, 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Mandalay. More Burma photos at YELWINOO.COM

Mandalay, 150 Years

2009-05-19T01:27:37Z

The royal parade to mark the 150th Birthday Anniversary of Mandalay, the second largest city of Myanmar... More Photos at YE LWIN OO . COM