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spoonbender | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> Yangon Temples tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Yangon Temples

These are mostly Shwedagon, but there are others as well. Notably the big reclining Buddha temple and the big Seated Buddha temple across the street from it. The temples are amazing, I have to say, though a bit kitschy at times. I was also surprised to see how much of what is happening at these temples seems to have very little do with what little I think I know about Buddhism. There is a lot of magic and superstiion and astrology and palm reading. People crowd around various statues. At Shwedagon, for instance, there are 8 stations for different days of the week (Wednesday, I think, has two, one for morning, one for night) and you are supposed to go to your birthday's little god and offer it flowers and then take a cupful of water for every year you have been alive and pour it over the head of a little statue. There's not as much hocus pocus and superstition as you see in Tibet (no one's spinning prayer wheels or crawling for miles), but still, I just wonder what any of it has to do with Buddhism. I asked a monk in Mandalay if astroology and palm reading had anything to do with Buddhism and he just laughed and said, "No."
The temples in Myanmar also will typically have a bunch of statues of various Nat gods and I've got a picture or two of these. In some temples, and even in parts of Shwedagon, there are what I would call gopuram, as you would see in a South Indian Hindu temple, but instead of Hindu gods, the Burmese have all these various Nats.
Shwedagon, by one of the statues for days of the week
Shwedagon, by one of the statues for days of the week
Offerings
Offerings
Zedi
Zedi
Night shot
Night shot
Brought my tripod
Brought my tripod
Guardian Lions, at night
Guardian Lions, at night
The big recliner
The big recliner
See: really big
See: really big
g6/31/233431/3/72923248.EjDa2C5g.jpg This guy is a Nat god of some kind
This guy is a Nat god of some kind
Jack Palance
Jack Palance
He did it
He did it
Nat
Nat
The big seated Buddha
The big seated Buddha
The poorly lit temple of the big seated Buddha
The poorly lit temple of the big seated Buddha
The Ugly American, Shwedagon
The Ugly American, Shwedagon
Golden umbrella, Shwedagon
Golden umbrella, Shwedagon
Buddha's disciple, appearing to admire his foot
Buddha's disciple, appearing to admire his foot
More gold at Shwedago
More gold at Shwedago
Buddha in a jewelled hall
Buddha in a jewelled hall
There is a very popular ogre temple.
There is a very popular ogre temple.
Close up. Buddhism? That's a 50 kyat note. it's 1250 kyat = 1 USD
Close up. Buddhism? That's a 50 kyat note. it's 1250 kyat = 1 USD
Lots of ogres. I dig the ogres.
Lots of ogres. I dig the ogres.
Nat
Nat
This Buddha's hands were in an interesting postion
This Buddha's hands were in an interesting postion
Shwedagon
Shwedagon
The main temple at Shwedagon, at night
The main temple at Shwedagon, at night
Monk
Monk
Temple detail
Temple detail
Guardian lions
Guardian lions
Feet of Guardian Lions
Feet of Guardian Lions
Buddha hand detail, Shwedagon
Buddha hand detail, Shwedagon
Main temple, nearing dusk
Main temple, nearing dusk
Main temple, slightly nearer to dusk
Main temple, slightly nearer to dusk
Temple roof detail, Shwedagon
Temple roof detail, Shwedagon
Zedis zedis everywhere.
Zedis zedis everywhere.
It's overwhelming at times, all the statues, zedis, incense, people, color
It's overwhelming at times, all the statues, zedis, incense, people, color
Monk
Monk
Lattice work detail
Lattice work detail
Prayer flags
Prayer flags
Refurbishing the temple
Refurbishing the temple
It could get quite crowded at Shwedagon
It could get quite crowded at Shwedagon
Temple tower detail
Temple tower detail
Madonna and Child (who looks a bit like John Quincy Addams)
Madonna and Child (who looks a bit like John Quincy Addams)
Winsome ogre
Winsome ogre
A small reclining Buddha
A small reclining Buddha
Temple archway detail
Temple archway detail
Monk
Monk