Merry Christmas From Mawlamyine!

Today we went and saw the world's largest reclining Buddha. It's over 560 feet long!



Approaching the giant Buddha there are hundreds(maybe even thousands) of statues lining the road. Another road heads off in to the forest with hundreds more!

Classic Asia: Monks and Badminton

The scene around the Buddha

As you drive up to the Buddha there are giant karst mountains on either side of the road. One side has a Hindu temple on it, and the other side has a Buddhist temple on it. I believe this is the Buddhist one.

You can buy tiles for 50 cents at the entrance, then you can offer them to a giant Buddha statue.

The parking lot on the way in.

People offering their tiles to Buddha

Inside the giant Buddha there are 4 floors of lifesize dioramas depicting different stories from the Buddhas life. There are absolutely zero explanations in English.

The dioramas give the FULL story of the Buddha.

I liked the horse.

obligatory burning in hell religious scene.

Inside the giant Buddha there are many lookouts. Across the way they are building another giant Buddha, which is scheduled to be finished in 2058(just kidding.)

This place is really strange. The outside already looks old although it is brand new and unfinished. Inside, everything is under construction. Some things are finished, next to other things unfinished. The outside is mostly finished, but the lobby isn't finished. Each floor is about 40% finished. You would think they might finish the first floor first, then move on to the second floor, then third, etc, but no.

 

The eyes for the next giant Buddha are in the lobby of the (mostly) finished first giant Buddha. Directly to the right is where you buy and donate the tiles to the Buddha. I have no idea why they let people drive motorcycles inside the giant Buddha, but they do.

This place has everything!

This is the back. A lot of the place looks like this... They don't seem to have a lot of rhyme or reason here... It's part of the charm.

The stairs leading up to the inside of the giant Buddha.



This is the Hindu temple on the opposite mountain(I think.)