THE GRAND ANANDA
A BRIEF BACKGROUND
Built by King Kyansittha in 1091 A.D., it is the finest and the most venerated temple at Bagan. Legend says that it was built according to the plan furnished by Indian Buddhist monks which purported to their cave-temple in the Nandamula mountain held to be in the Himalayas. This temple symbolizes the endless wisdom (Ananta Panna) of the Buddha just as the Thatbyinnyu symbolizes the omniscience of the Tathagata. Hence the name Ananta, which later transformed to Ananda, the name od Buddha’s cousin.
Of all edifices built by King Kyansittha, Ananda Phaya near Tharapa Gate excels in architecture and decorative artworks – 35-foot high teak doors with intricate wood carvings, marble statues, murals and glazed figures, the four facades with four standing Buddha images representing the four Buddhas that had already been in this world of Buddha.
STRUCTURE and LAYOUT
It is in plan a square of nearly 200 feet to the side and broken on each side by projection of large gabled vestibules, which convert the plan into a perfect Greek cross. The vestibules are somewhat lower than the main mass of the building, which elevates itself to a height of 35 feet in two tiers of windows. Above this rise successively diminishing terraces, the last of which just affording breadth for the spire which crowns and completes the edifice. The lower half of this spire is in the form of a mitre-like pyramid adapted from the temples of India; the upper half is the same molded taper pinnacle that terminates the common bell-shaped pagodas of Bagan. The gilded htee (umbrella) caps the whole at a height of 168 feet above the ground.
On western facade, inside the statue of Buddha, is a statue of Shin Arahan who had brought the Theravada Buddhist to Bagan and he statue of King Kyansittha. In the main Tazaung on that facade, an enlarged likeness of a pair of footprint of Buddha complete with 108 characters as written in Pali treaties.
That’s the lake inside Ananda compound. There’s a shadow of the temple in the lake. It was Ko J who showed me the shadow and I made this shot…
That’s very first time I learn to know about playing with SKY and CLOUDS mounting Wide Angle Lens on my Camera…
That was the result of FRAMING technique showed by Ko J… I learned a lot from him during my Bagan trip…
35-feet Buddha image on the Southern wing of The Grand Ananda…
The four facades with four standing Buddha images representing the four Buddhas that had already been in this world of Buddha…
This statue is revered at the Eastern wing of the temple…
A religious glance from Northern wing…
Just want to say “GREAT”, #4 is very outstanding.