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During school breaks, boys are inducted into monkhood with this ritual. This can be observed with the first signs of loud temple music blaring out a day before and on the day itself coming from the monastery. On the day itself, the boys are brought to the monastery by parents and relatives dressed in gowns, crowns, flowers, sequins, and glitter, stockings, and make-up. An audience gathers. The place itself is colourfully festooned. A small show consists of songs by hired singers accompanied by ensemble music, a pep talk by a layman and some rituals. After some photos with their parents, the boys are brought again to another monastery to be stripped, heads shaved and bathed. Finally, they are assembled in the hall in front of the abbot for prayer recitation, oath taking, and robe-blessing ceremonies, after which they are totally stripped and dressed in their new vestments by their parents. They will stay the rest of their school holiday in the monastery.
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This lone golden gourd-shaped structure sits on a complex temple by the river.
Named after a well-known monk and built in the middle of the 13th century, this rectangular hall has roof instalments imitative of Burmese wood architecture and a tiny central spire going up from the roof. Many other similar buildings have been long gone due to its wooden construction.
အာနန္ဒာ ဘုရား
Bagan's holiest temple, built by the third king, Kyan-Zit-Tha in 1091. Ananda is the name of one of the Buddha's principal disciples, and comes from the Pali word "anantapannya", which means "boundless wisdom". The temple houses four Buddhas facing the cardinal directions, which represent the four Buddhas who have attained Nirvana. The fifth, Maitreya, is yet to appear. It has been renovated to remove the white and black washed paint and to make way for a sandy reddish cover, which now allows for impressive and distinct views/pictures like no other temple in Bagan. The temple restoration has been undertaken with help of India.
Commissioned by King Alaunsithu in 1131, one of the most intact temples, thus needing less imagination to appreciate.
Another unremarkable temple.
That Byin Nyu Guphayagyi
That Byin Nyu Temple was built in the mid-12th century during the reign of King Alaungsithu. Adjacent to Ananda Temple, it is the tallest structure in Bagan. “Thatbyinnyu” means “omniscience”, which the Buddha is said to have attained upon enlightenment. There are some run-down temples nearby That Byin Nyu, and an old city wall that is a short walk away.