New Horizons of Grassroots Influence Xiao Xiake (Travel Expert)
Return to Sagaing from Mingong, because when heading to Mingong from the Emerald Stupa, you can see Sagaing Hill on the riverside from the Ava Bridge across the Irrawaddy River, which is 231.6 meters above sea level. It's a great place to watch the sunrise and sunset. Because of its many golden, white and silver pagodas and Buddhist temples scattered on the lush green hills, so many Buddhist temples are gathered on this small hill at the same time, it is said that thousands of monks and nuns study Buddhism and meditation here, it is an important Buddhist shrine in Myanmar, and it is fortunate to visit the stupa in this resort.
Walk across the Ava Bridge to see Mount Sagaing on the other side, and there are more than ten large and small pagodas as in sight
Sagaing is the capital and major city of Sagaing Province, which has been crossed across the Id River. Sagaing is located on the opposite bank of the River I, 20 km southwest of Mandalay. Sagaing is an important religious center, and numerous hills are crowded with monasteries. Sagaing was the capital of the Kingdom of Sagaing (1315-1364), one of the small kingdoms that arose after the fall of the pagan dynasty, and during the Ava period (1364-1555), the city was a common fiefdom of princes or high princes. Sagaing briefly became the royal capital between 1760 and 1763.
The driver first dropped me off at the stupa called Soon U Ponnya Shin Pagoda, which claims to be the oldest and richest of the many pagodas in Sagaing province. Located at the top of Nga Hpar (Frog Mountain), it gets its name from its shape, but is often referred to simply as Ponnya Shin Mountain in honor of its pagoda. The temple is said to have been founded in 1312 by Amatkyi U Ponnya, a minister (English wiki) of King Thihathu (1265-1325) of Sagaing. I also saw stone carvings of frogs in this temple, but I didn't know that the peak of Mount Sagay was Frog Mountain, so the temple was located at the top of the mountain, so the site in front of the Buddhist temple was not large, and the first snow dragon entered a shopping street, and then saw a huge seated Buddha statue inside. The golden-robed Buddha looked more cheerful than the Buddha statue he had seen earlier, with a golden carved ceiling and jade-colored tiles on the walls around his head. The small Buddha statue next to the huge Buddha statue is plastered with pieces of gold leaf, and I finally see this common way of praying with gold leaf in Burmese.
Therefore, the Buddhist temple is built on the mountain, so the Buddhist halls and stupas are built along the mountain, and there are often roof channels between the Buddhist temples to connect, and there are Buddhist story pictures on both sides above each channel, so it is also called a gallery, allowing believers to immerse themselves in a strong Buddhist atmosphere. The eaves between the various passages and the Buddha hall are also multi-eaves, and the decoration is magnificent. Finally, we came to the 29.6-meter-high stupa, which is surrounded by four small stupas, and you can see fierce mythical animals and heart-shaped motifs on the pagoda. This Buddhist temple is similar to the Su Taung Pyei stupa on Mandalay Hill in the morning in that both are located at the top of the mountain, and the interior of the Buddha niches, walls and beams and pillars inside the building are mostly assembled with shiny glass or porcelain chips to form geometric patterns, but the decoration area of this temple is smaller, because I have seen Su Taung Pye Buddhist Temple that morning, so this temple is not particularly surprised, but the bright decorative pieces, huge Buddha statues, and the Buddhist hall built along the mountain also make me feel excited, and I can also enjoy Mandalay, Beautiful view of Amara and Ava and Mount Sagaing. It is also the No. 1 temple in Sagaing Mountain and the 12th Buddhist temple visited in Myanmar.
Then I went to U Min Thonze Padoda, and I was impressed that this temple was linked to Soon U Ponnya Shin Pagoda, and I forgot whether I came by walk or by car. The temple is believed to have been founded by Tarabya I (1323-1335), King of the short-lived kingdom of Sagaing. Its fate in the following centuries is unknown, but it was also damaged by earthquakes, so King Pagan (1846-1853) rebuilt the monument in 1847, which was ended early with the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1851. Now the Buddhist temple is often referred to as the "Thirty Cave Temple", which refers to "30 entrances in a semicircular arc containing 45 Buddha statues". The number 30 refers to the 30 variants of Buddhist code of conduct or fulfillment, while 45 probably represents the number of years the Buddha's first sermon in Luyeyuan until his nirvana, cave temples (known as gu) were very popular in the early days of the Bagan Empire, gu originated from Buddhist cave temples in North India, favoring refuge from the mundane (English wiki).
The relative location of the two Buddhist temples of Mount Sagaing, Iejiang, Ava Bridge, and Amarapura
Located in a remote location on Mount Sagaing, this temple used to be difficult to reach and modern roads make the site easily accessible to pilgrims and tourists. When I came to this Buddhist temple, I found that there were 45 long doors in the shape of a circular arc, so I only took one picture of the left section and one of the right section, but did not take a panoramic picture, which is a pity. These doors are similar in shape, the door frame, above the door, and the top of the door are decorated with golden branches and leaves, and rows of Buddha statues can be seen, and the whole design is mainly light blue-green, a bit like a Western building, especially like the color system of the St. Petersburg Hermitage. Entering the inner hall, I found a row of 45 seated Buddha statues, arranged in a curved form, because the length was too long and the camera lens could not fit, so I did not take a panoramic view of this long 45 Buddha statues.
The wall where this Buddha statue is located is also decorated with a sparkling and layered glass mosaic pattern similar to Soon U Ponnya Shin Pagod, the ceiling and walls of this Buddha hall are green, the wall behind the Buddha's head has three layers of red, blue and green light, and the floor is also decorated with colorful porcelain tiles, the overall design is quite harmonious and distinctive. As for whether this Buddhist temple is located in a cave on the mountain, it is not particularly noted. This is the 13th Buddhist temple seen during this trip, with its rounded Buddha statue and gate and green color, cave Buddhist temple, and glass mosaic, which is a must-visit Buddhist temple in Sagaing Mountain.
From the top of Sagaing Mountain, where the Buddhist temple is located, you can see the city of Yijiang and Mandalay, as well as the two bridges across the Yijiang River, and you can see countless pagodas throughout Sagaing Mountain. And looking to the north, I saw that there is a unique pagoda on Mount Sagaing, its shape is similar to the Sanchi Pagoda of the Mauryan Dynasty in India, which is a pagoda that was not introduced in the travel guide, which shows that this pagoda is different from the common pagodas in Myanmar, and it is a pink pagoda with houses around, so I immediately asked the driver to drive me to this pagoda. However, the actual use of this pagoda is for the purpose of a Buddhist university, and I have been exposed to different forms of Buddhist architecture, and it turns out that there are not only these two well-known Buddhist temples on Mount Sagaing, but also other Buddhist temples worth seeing.
The exterior of Soon U Ponnya Shin Pagoda doesn't look big
Entering the temple is a shopping street where towering and brightly colored Burmese cloth is stacked
Inside, there is a huge Buddha statue, and the Buddha in the golden robe looks more pleasant than the Buddha statue he saw before
Next to the huge Buddha statue, a small Buddha statue is plastered with pieces of gold leaf
A gold-carved watch on the ceiling, topped by Buddhist auspicious and geometric patterns such as branches and leaves
The throne is surrounded by walls and ceilings with jade-colored porcelain or glass pieces
Enter the stupa area, where the elaborately decorated roof has the upper end of the stupa to the left
Upon entering the hall, you will see a local deity, a golden throne and shining porcelain tiles
A picture depicting ordinary people in Myanmar is quite vivid, not just Buddhist pictures
The frog is carved in stone, the body is smooth so it is not a toad, and the pillar next to it is quite shiny
It is usually an umbrella that stands next to the Buddha statue, but these three are in a group of their own above the shoulders of the Buddha statue
The gold-robed Buddha statue has many umbrella covers in front and left and right, and jade porcelain pieces around it
On the walls, a circular pattern of shimmering glass or porcelain tiles can be seen
Finally, I saw the stupa, with an altar table in front of it, and four small stupas around the stupa
There are also four small stupas at the four corners of the large stupa with umbrella crowns at the tops
Walking to this area, you can see three stupas of different sizes and shapes
This channel is visible with delicate multi-eaves roofs
On the channel hangs a picture of the Buddha radiating light
Drawing of gods offering worship to Buddha
Stupas, green roofs, golden eaves and phoenix trees
U Min Thonze Padoda Buddhist Temple, also known as the Thirty Cave Temple, has 30 entrances
From this angle, you can see 20 entrances in an arc, which is unique in this trip
The golden decorations on each door frame, above the door, and on the roof have branches and Buddha images
Four Buddha statues of varying heights and heights, with shiny pieces of glass behind them like beehives
The green glass panel in the background is very special, consisting of 45 Buddha statues in a semicircle
Phoenix blossoms bloom in early July, including Myanmar
From Sagaing Hill, you can see the Lovaddy River and Mandalay City
You can see the two bridges on the Id River and countless pagodas on Mount Sagaing
I was surprised to see a unique stupa on Mount Sagaing, which resembles Sanchi, a World Heritage Site in India
Out of the Buddhist temple, there are two guardian dragons at the door, the back of the dragon is green, and the belly of the dragon is pink