Tag Archives: stupa

Cambodia – Oudong Mountain

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Oudong Mountain is a popular weekend-morning destination for Cambodians as well as tourists. The ride from Phnom Penh takes about three quarters of an hour through the capital city’s suburbs and out into the countryside. Oudong Mountain first appears as a distant vision across the rice paddies.

Oudong was the capital of Cambodia from 1618 to 1866, when the capital was moved to Phnom Penh. There was much damage to the region in the 1970s under the Khmer Rouge. Now, new structures and old intermingle peacefully. The climb to the top involves more than five hundred stairs whose railings are topped with resplendent enlightened Buddhas. A pool that graces one of the stairway landings is occupied by a troupe of monkeys.

  

 

The views from the terrace of the newest stupa are stunning, as are the terrace and the stupa itself.

 

 

The older stupas on the mountaintop blend ancient art with modern worship.

   

 

One of these older stupas had a small temple inside, where traditionally worshippers bring Buddha statues.

 

 

 

Bagan – Sunset from Shwesandaw Stupa

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At last, dear friends, after a week of posts about Bagan, we arrive at the evening of the journey’s second day here. I have completely omitted the eight (8) stupas and temples that we either visited or stopped to contemplate during the day, along with their corresponding Buddhas of white and gold. It feels like time to move on. Besides, we can see many of these religious structures from the top of Shwesandaw Stupa. Let’s go look.

     

 

There actually was a bit of a sunset…

Finally, as we leave Bagan for Mandalay, I give you two complete panoramic views, each comprising about half of the view from the top of the stupa. If you right-click on each image and download it, you should be able to see the panorama in a larger size.

Tomorrow–it’s on to Mandalay!

 

Bagan – Seen (scene) along the road

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You can’t drive anywhere in Bagan without passing temples and stupas. Many of these have names; maybe they all do. But many are just mysterious, ancient, and beautiful structures we just passed by on the way to somewhere else. Hey, it would take a year or more to visit them all!

The next two photos are of Hti-lo Minlo Temple, a place we possibly would have visited, had I not inadvertently forgotten to collect my shoes from the previous temple in my haste to escape a crowd of vendors who were desperate to make a living in this off-season for tourists and knew a sucker when they saw one (I’d foolishly bought something from one of them).

 

 

Yes, I did manage to retrieve the sandals!  😉

Below are some other temples and stupas, whose names I don’t know. But they sure are pretty…

          

Possibly, one or two of these might be other views of Htilo-Minlo from other angles on the road, I’m not sure. But I hope that all of these photos will show you something of the beauty and grace of the Bagan landscape.