209MANDALAYSIGHTSMANDALAY & AROUNDSIGHTSMANDALAYSIGHTSLegend claims that many fi gures were melt-
ed down in the 1880s to make cannons for
Mandalay’s defence against the British. But
six rather battered fi gures remain, enshrined
in a drab concrete building on the northwest
side of the inner courtyard. The most impres-
sive are two images of the Hindu god Shiva
(one painfully emasculated) and another of
the multi-headed elephant, Airavata. Locals
enthusiastically rub parts of the image, be-
lieving that any affl iction on the correspond-
ing part of their own body will thus be cured.
Mahamuni Paya is an endlessly popular
place of pilgrimage with thousands of faith-
ful arriving daily, including countless family
groups bringing their colourfully robed kids
for coming-of-age celebrations. The human
scene is often more memorable than the
mainly recent architecture – the original
1784 temple burnt down a century later.
Today the central Buddha sits beneath a
soaring multi-tiered golden shrine roof. It is
approached through long concrete passage-
ways crammed with stalls selling all manner
of religio-tourist trinkets. More interesting
sets of Buddha images are sold in the side
arcade leading to the (young) bodhi tree.
Near the compound’s northeast exit are a
merrily kitsch clock tower and the odd little
Maha Buddhavamsa world Buddhism
museum.
oShwe In Bin
Kyaung BUDDHIST MONASTERY
eráa='p='ekY;='"
(Map p 202 ; 89th St, 37/38) If you wanted a
place for quiet meditation in Mandalay, you
couldn’t fi nd a better spot than this beautiful
teak monastery. Commissioned in 1895 by a
pair of wealthy Chinese jade merchants, the
central building stands on tree-trunk poles
and the interior has a soaring dark majesty.
Balustrades and roof cornices are covered
in detailed engravings, a few of them mildly
humorous. ‘Remove your shoes’ signs are
placed at the compound entrance, but you
don’t actually have to do so until reaching
the approach stairs.Gold-Pounders’ District WORKSHOPS
Most of the one-inch-square gold-leaf sheets
you see worshippers putting onto shining
Buddha images are laboriously hammer-
pounded for hours by hand in one of Man-
dalay’s 70 or so workshops, centred on 36th
St between 77th and 79th Sts. Many are in
back-alley houses, but there are two souvenir-
shop showrooms, King Galon (Map p 202 ; 36th
St, 77/78; h7am-7pm) and Golden Rose (Map
p 202 ; 36th St, 78/79; h7am-7pm), where Eng-
lish-speaking staff patiently talk you through
the process while muscle-bound gold-beaters
hammer out an insistent, thumping rhythm.
It’s free and fascinating, and there’s no sales
pressure (though the gold leaf sheets do make
popular souvenirs – from K2000 for 10).Stone Carvers WORKSHOPS
(Map p 202 ) West of Mahamuni Paya there
are a whole series of workshops where you
can see slabs of rock being blasted, chipped
and polished into Buddhas of all sizes.
Souvenir carvings are also made, notably
little marble elephants. You can spot several
workshops along the Sagaing–Mandalay Rd
when driving to Amarapura.Ma Soe Yein Nu Kyaung BUDDHIST MONASTERY
(Map p 202 ; 39th St, 87/88) Across the creek
from Shwe In Bin, this large monastery isn’t
architecturally outstanding, but it does have
its own ‘Big Ben’ clock tower and is build-
ing a unique multi-storey concrete pavilion.
More notably it has long been noted for the
politically forthright views of its monks,
albeit less so since the 2007 protests, after
which many younger monks were encour-
aged to return to their homes.Tingaza Kyaung BUDDHIST MONASTERY
(Map p 202 ; 92nd St, 34/35) Somewhat dilapi-
dated, this appealingly lived-in teak monas-
tery has some carved wooden details. Across
the yard, a shaded open-air trio of sinuous
Buddha fi gures have been weathered into
almost abstract ghosts.Jade Market MARKET
(Map p 202 ; 87th St, 39/40; admission $1; h8am-
5pm) This heaving grid of cramped walkways
is a shoulder-to-shoulder mass of jade trad-
ers. It feels rather sketchy, but not all the dealsWOMEN & MAHAMUNIOnly men are allowed in to apply gold
leaf to Mahamuni’s torso. Female
devotees kneel close by, but get only a
glimpse of the crowned image whether
directly or on the surreally static TV
monitors. Some ladies believe that
desegregation is overdue. One local
grandmother told us, ‘Lord Buddha
never said anything like this, and I’d so
much like to put gold leaf on the Bud-
dha image myself!’