Ananda Temple is one of the biggest and most beautiful
temples in Bagan. Built by the mighty king, Kyansittha, in the 11th century, it
has a Greek cross floor plan and parallel corridors. Its interior is lit by
natural light, which enters through openings set high on the walls.
The Temple houses four standing Buddhas, representing the
three Buddhas who came before Gautama, and Gautama himself. (Gautama is
Siddhartha, the most popular and most recent Buddha. When people say Buddha
today, they're referring to him.) They each face a cardinal direction:
Kakusanda Buddha faces north, Kassapa Buddha faces south. Konnagona Buddha
faces east, Gautama Buddha faces west.
The Buddhas are about 32 ft high and are made of wood. The
original Konnagona image was made of sandalwood, which burned down when a nun
made a candle offering and left it unattended. What we saw was a replacement.
Gautama's image was also a replacement.
The images of Kakusanda and Kassapa are original. Made of
gilded teak wood, they're quite interesting. When viewed up close, the Buddhas'
faces look stern. Step back, say eight or 10 ft, and they seem to smile. Step
farther away and the smiles get bigger.
What a reminder, I thought. If your nose is too close to a
problem, it looks incomprehensible. Unsolvable. You can lose your cool. But
when you step back, you see it more clearly. Or differently. You begin to see
your way through it. Or around it. Next thing you know you're smiling.
Read about our encounter with Padaungs in my Bagan Journal 6.
Read about our encounter with Padaungs in my Bagan Journal 6.
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