Little and unknown Myanmar today is rapidly gaining popularity among tourists, because here in addition to the most beautiful beaches there are many charming and mysterious Buddhist temples. Ancient golden pagodas, picturesque mountains with monasteries located on them conceal the legends of time and attract travelers. We can say that the abundance of local churches, monasteries and pagodas constitutes the main attraction of ancient Burma, now called Myanmar .
The most popular temples of Burma
Among the temples of Myanmar, you can identify several of the most famous and beloved by tourists.
- Shwedagon Pagoda . Undoubtedly, the most famous Buddhist temple complex of Myanmar in Yangon , its religious symbol. Already from a distance, visitors can see a fascinating view of the main gilded dome, called a stupa and having a height of 98 meters, and around it 70 stupas smaller, but also shiny and shimmering. In terms of beauty and luxury, the Shwedagon Pagoda is difficult to surpass: the gold leaf covers the main stupa, and its top is adorned with thousands of precious stones, as well as gold and silver bells. Inside the stupas there are different sizes of bells, small temples and pavilions.
- Pagoda Schwezigon . One of the sacred relics of Myanmar, namely the copy of the Tooth of the Buddha, is stored in the stupa of Schwezigon. The Tooth itself is located in the city of Kandy, in Sri Lanka. Again, returning to the luxurious decoration of the temples of Myanmar, note the golden cover of the main stupa, surrounded by smaller pagodas and stupas, more modestly decorated. Due to its popularity, the Schwezigon in Bagan became not only a place of worship for shrines, but also a lively place for souvenir trade of local sellers. Souvenir shops and four gazebos with ancient Buddhas are located around the pagoda.
- The Mahamuni Pagoda . One of the most famous pagodas in Myanmar and the most popular among tourists. It was built in the end of the XVIII century in Mandalay . Its main sacred relic is the ancient bronze statue of Buddha, which has a height of 4.5 meters. An interesting ritual of washing the face of Buddha and brushing your teeth with large brushes can be found at dawn, temple attendants prepare the Buddha for a new day at dawn.
- Temple of Ananda . He is sometimes called the visiting card of Bagan. The Ananda Temple is one of the eleven ancient and most famous temples of Myanmar. It was erected in 1091 and received its name in honor of one of the main disciples of the Buddha. In the interior of the temple are four four-meter tall statues of Buddha, in the inner galleries several hundred smaller Buddha statues. The bas-reliefs on the walls of the building illustrate sacred parables from the life of the Buddha. One of the main relics of the temple of Ananda is the footprints of the Buddha on the pedestal of the western portal.
- Monastery of Taung-Kalat . It was built in 1785, and almost 100 years after the fire it was reconstructed. This temple stands apart from the Buddhist temples of Myanmar, because it is located on Mount Popa, which in Sanskrit means "flower." According to Buddhists, this is an extinct volcano, endowed with energy of spirits, about which dozens of legends go here. The path to the mountain is not easy. To get to the top and see in all the splendor of the Taung-Kalat monastery, you need to walk barefoot 777 steps.
- Monastery of jumping cats . The most unusual in its location and organization of life is the monastery of Myanmar. It is located on Lake Inle , surrounded by several floating houses of local farmers. According to legend, the monastery got its name from the fact that in a very difficult period the abbot of the monastery turned to cats, which were always inhabited by a huge number on the shore of the lake. And after a while the business in the monastery was adjusted, which served as a sign for the living brotherhood especially to honor the four-legged tail friends-assistants.
In our review, we examined only the most famous places in Myanmar, in addition to which tourists will also be interested in visiting the Damayanji Temple, Shittahung , the Coetown complex, as well as the pagodas Sule , Chaittio , Botataung , Maha Visaya and many others. other
