Video #1 of view from Zegyo Hotel room, Mandalay
Video #2 of Shwenandaw Kyaung monastery, Mandalay
Video #3 of Shwenandaw Kyaung monastery, Mandalay
Interior of Shwenandaw Kyaung monastery, Mandalay
Interior of Shwenandaw Kyaung monastery
Monks at Shwenandaw Kyaung monastery, Mandalay
Shwenandaw Kyaung monastery. Mandalay
Carved teak panels, Shwenandaw Kyaung monastery, Mandalay
IF MANDALAY WAS ANYTHING, it was not what i had imagined, but then there was precious little to go on. Rudyard Kipling's poem "Mandalay" wasn't much help, nor was the Lonely Planet guidebook, which seemed to point towards a bewildering selection of monasteries, scattered far and wide.
A midday flight from Yangon brought me to Myanmar's second largest city, 445 miles (716 km) by road to the North. I shared the long taxi drive into town with friendly travellers; a young Frenchman and a couple from Winnipeg. I later met the threesome at a noisy and convivial hangout for informal tourists. The Mann Restaurant had basic Chinese food and a party atmosphere which was pleasant enough, but the brown streak of a rat beneath my feet, a lot less so. The accommodation nearby, at the Zegyo Hotel, favoured by the Burmese business and government crowd, was comfortable. My room at the back faced out over the popular Zegyo Market and a mosque, providing a room with a view.
The next morning, serious sightseeing began on the back of a tiny motorcycle taxi. I told the driver to take me to Shwenandaw Kyaung or the Golden Palace Monastery. As we approached the distant township it became apparent that he had no idea where our destination was, but after a few wrong turns, and help from locals, we reached the gates
Burmese traditional architecture is remarkable, not only for its graceful aesthetics, but for it's apparent portability too. Shwenandaw Kyaung was no exception. It even included a ghost story. Originally, the building was a royal apartment for KIng Mindon, there, in 1878. As his successor kept sighting him now in spirit form, a very prudent decision was made. King Thibaw had the teak wood structure dismantled and moved from the old moated palace in central Mandalay, out to the Northwestern outskirts. By 1880 it's reincarnation was the centrepiece of a monastery. Now, this was really fortunate as all the remaining palace buildings, of wood construction, were completely destroyed during World War II.
There was was a steady trickle of visitors who passed over the creaky floor boards, while i was there. Sometimes i even got to enjoy the darkened interior alone, broken only by patches of sunshine moved slowly across weathered grey surfaces. The panels, portals and a number of altars, were intricately carved and were in relatively good condition.
Zegyo Hotel in Mandalay
DIAMOND PALACE COMPANIES GROUP
Shwenandaw Monastery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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