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From Atop the Paya ~ Mingun, Myanmar | << Prev | Slide 4 of 200 | Next >> |
From Atop the Paya Mingun, Myanmar Copyright © 2024 OneWorldImages.com As its title implies, the image you see here was shot from atop Mingun Paya. The tree limbs and mid-day shadows seemed to perfectly frame the umbrella-toting woman I saw below. In the larger version of the image, one can almost make out the umbrellas she carries in a bag on her shoulder (a detail seen easily in the still-larger original image). My guess is the woman had just come from peddling umbrellas to tourists near the river. Mine being the last boat in on this day, she had literally folded up shop and was headed home. Had it been completed, the paya in Mingun might have been the largest Buddhist monument in the world. Construction of Mingun Paya was halted in 1819 when the king who commissioned its construction died. It seems the thousands of slaves and prisoners of war working on the paya abandoned the task as soon as King Bodawpaya was no more. Today, the brick base stands 50 meters high, approximately one-third of the intended height. Despite its unfinished state, the structure is imposing. It can be seen for miles around and seems almost unreal on first glimpse when traveling by boat along the Ayeyarwady River (to get a feel for the structure's size, see this shot of the paya viewed from up close on the river). << View Large Image >>
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