Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
flyingeavesrisingtoaneedle-thinfinial-asymbolicrepresentationoftheBuddhistcosmos,
with the different tiers standing for the various realms of human and celestial beings rising to
the mythical Mount Meru, home of the gods, above. (
Pyatthat
were also a common feature
of royal palace complexes - the higher one's status at court, the more tiers the
pyatthat
over
one's residence were permitted.)
Inside, walls and pillars are often decorated in dazzlingly intricate
glass mosaics
, another
Burmese speciality. Virtually every shrine will have a Buddha image inside, often several.
Some will also house images of
nats
, while in bigger shrines you'll find additional objects
of veneration such as symbolic
Buddha footprints
, decorated with arcane symbols, or
reliquaries
containingsacredobjects-typicallyreplicasoftheBuddha'sToothorotherbod-
ily remains.
Benign Buddhas
Burmese Buddhas are everywhere, from the supersized colossi in Yangon, Monywa, Bago
andelsewherethroughtothemyriadsmallerimageswhichcanbefoundineverytemple.The
array of styles is strikingly wide, ranging from manneristic, slightly extraterrestrial-looking
Shan- and Thai-influenced figures through to more realistic images such as the square-faced
and rather portly-looking images that were the speciality of the Rakhine (such as the revered
MahamuniBuddha,nowinMandalay).MostimagesshowtheBuddhacladinsimplemonk's
robes, although in later images (particularly Mandalay-style statues) these are often replaced
with sumptuous royal regalia, including lavish sculpted robes and extravagant crowns.
The
Mandalay-style Buddha
, which developed during the Konbaung era, is particularly
popular, showing the Buddha with a round and realistic-looking face (unlike the rather alien-
featured Shan- and Thai-style Buddhas), and a full head of closely cropped hair with a hair-
bunlookingslightlylikeawoollencap.MostMandalay-style seatedimagesareshowninthe
bhumisparsha mudra
withtherobetiedovertheleftshoulder(therightshoulderisleftbare).
