Looking across the Ananda Phaya

This is our entry in Lost in Translation’s THURSDAY’S SPECIAL: WINDOWS.

This Burmese monk is framed by many windows as we look across the Ananda Phaya (pagoda, or temple) in Bagan, Myanmar. The temple was designed as a perfectly proportioned Greek cross, with two parallel walkways around a square central room. The photo was taken from the outermost walkway, across the innermost walkway and intervening walls, to capture the image of the monk in the inner room. This Buddhist temple was built in 1105 AD, damaged by the 1975 earthquake, and now completely restored.

Incidentally, the niche in front of the monk contains a mirror that is reflecting silhouettes of us photographers and the grated window to the outside behind us.

Burmese Monk

This photo was taken on February 9, 2017. Specs are: Olympus TG-4, ISO 800, f/2.2, 1/30 sec, 5.14 mm