Shwemawdaw Pagoda – Broken

This is our entry in Dutch goes the Photo!’s  Tuesday Photo Challenge – Broken.

The Shwemawdaw Pagoda, also called the Golden Rod Temple, is a stupa in Bago, Myanmar. Earthquake-prone Myanmar has lost many of its ancient pagodas and temples to these natural disasters. Although sturdily constructed, the tall stupas are not earthquake-proof.  The Shwemawdaw Pagoda is no exception.  According to the Journal of Earthquake and Tsunami, the Shwemawdaw Pagoda has fallen or been damaged in recorded history in 868, 875, 1757, 1913, and 1917. After a major earthquake in 1930, which almost completely destroyed this stupa, it was rebuilt and enlarged in 1954. The top of the pagoda, that was broken off in the 1917 earthquake, is preserved in its final resting place in the rebuilt stupa.

Here is a photo of the rebuilt Shwemawdaw Pagoda, with the broken top lying where it fell.  At 114 meters (370.5 feet), it is the tallest pagoda in Myanmar.

Here is a close-up of the broken top, showing the internal brick construction.

Specs for these pictures:

1st picture: Olympus TG-4, ISO 100, f/8, 1/320 sec, 4.5 mm

2nd picture: Canon 100D, ISO 100, f/11, 1/400 sec, 18 mm

3rd picture: Olympus TG-4, ISO 100, f/6.3, 1/400 sec, 18 mm