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Mandalay Images 11 images Created 29 Feb 2012

Mandalay - the very name evokes the splendors of Old Burma though most of its former magnificence is gone, destroyed by fire that consumes wooden structures and by intensive bombing by the allies during the reconquest of Burma in WWII. Its chief attractions are the nearby Irrawaddy River and the U-Bien Bridge.
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  • Burmese Gold Leaf Workers Pounding and Thinning Leaf - Pounding Gold leaf is hard work - hammered into extremely thin sheets and is then used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of quality, karats and various shades though 22 karat yellow gold is most commonly used.  Layering gold leaf over a surface is called gilding. The practice has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years and is still done by hand.
    gold-leaf-4.jpg
  • Sandamuni Paya features a cluster of white stupas, and was built as an extension of Kuthodaw Temple next door.  Surrounding the giant stupa lie 1774 marble slabs engraved with Buddhist scriptures, housed in their own mini stupa.
    sandamuni-1.jpg
  • Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into extremely thin sheets and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. 22 karat yellow gold is the most commonly used.  Layering gold leaf over a surface is called gilding. It has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of years and is still done by hand.
    gold-leaf-3.jpg
  • The Irrawaddy River also spelt Ayeyarwaddy is a river that flows from north to south through Burma. It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway. Originating from the N'mai and Mali rivers, it flows North-South before emptying into the Irrawaddy Delta and finally the Andaman Sea. After Rudyard Kipling's poem, it is sometimes referred to as 'The Road to Mandalay'..The river is vital as a considerable amount of cargo and traffic moves by river.
    irrawaddy-river-1.jpg
  • Sometimes called the "World's Biggest Book" Kuthodaw Paya has 729 marble slabs, including the entire 15 books of the Tripitaka also inscribed on the slabs each of which is installed in its own white stupa.
    kuthodaw-1.jpg
  • Kyauktawgyi Paya - the main claim to fame here is its 26 feet tall, 900 ton marble Buddha figure carved from one single gigantic slab of marble. It took 10,000 men 13 days to transport it to its site because of its size and weight.
    kyauktawgyi-1.jpg
  • The Mahamuni Buddha Temple is a Buddhist temple and major pilgrimage site in Mandalay, Burma.  The Mahamuni Buddha image is deified in this temple and originally came from Arakan and is highly venerated in Burma and central to many people's lives, as it is seen as an expression of representing the Buddha's life.
    mahamuni-temple-2.jpg
  • Totally destroyed and burned during WWII, Mandalay Palace has been rebuilt with a replica.  However, it is not very often visited as its construction was via forced slave labor and mostly shunned by both locals and tourists though it inhabits the most central area of Mandalay.
    mandalay-palace-moat-1.jpg
  • Shwenandaw Kyang Monastery, sometimes called the "Golden Palace" is the only building remaining of the old Mandalay Palace, which burnt down during WWII.  The building is covered inside and out with carved teak panels,at one time covered by gold leaf.
    shwenandaw-kyaung-4.jpg
  • Wood carving at Shwenandaw Kyang Monastery.  This is the only building that remains of the old Mandalay Palace which burnt down during World War II.  The building is covered inside and out with carved teak panel -,at one time the panels covered by gold leaf.
    shwenandaw-kyaung-7.jpg
  • One of Burma's most distinctive sights, U Bein Bridge in the ancient city of Amarapura spans over one kilometer.  It is the world's longest teak bridge and one of Mandalay's top attractions.
    u-bein-bridge-01.jpg