Website with scans of the Pali texts in various scripts for the use of scholars and students.
Publication of Ven. Rerukane Candavimala’s Autobiography
A new website dedicated to the autobiography of Ven. Rerukane Candavimala in which he talks about his life and work.
New Chanting Book for Meditators Published
A new chanting book is published on the Ancient Buddhist Texts website meant specifically for meditators.
Uposatha Calendars 2016
Two New Chanting Texts on Ancient Buddhist Texts
Publication of two new short chanting texts on the Ancient Buddhist Texts website; the Prajñāpāramitā-Hṛdaya, the Heart of the Perfection of Wisdom, and the Tigumbacetiyathomanā – Praise of the Tigumba Shrine.
Text and Translation of Namakkārapāli
A new text and translation of a popular Burmese chanting text, together with extracts from the commentary.
Ruined Temples in Ayutthaya
History of the sacking of the former capital of Thailand, Ayutthaya, and photographs of the ruined temples that are still to be seen there.
The Asokan Missions from the Extended Mahavamsa
The first translation of the Extended Mahāvaṁsa chapters XII-XIV, which describe the missions sent out during King Asoka’s time to bring the Dhamma to the outlying districts and countries.
The Ascendency of Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia
Book Review of The Ascendency of Theravada Buddhism in Southeast Asia by Prapod Assavavirulhakarn
Paintings by Paw Oo Thett
Paw Oo Thett was one of the most famous Burmese painters in modern times, producing vibrant works in both watercolour on paper and oil paintings on canvas.
Thant Myint-U: The River of Lost Footsteps
The River of Lost Footsteps, by Thant Myint-U provides a political history of Burma from the earliest times, and brings it up until the “Saffron Revolution” of 2007.
Buddhas and Murals at the Po Win Caves – 2
Po Win Daung is a large complex of 800+ sandstone caves around 20 km from Monywa, which have been dug out of the hills and contains what is considered to be one of the richest collection of mural paintings and Buddhist statues in South-East Asia.
Buddhas and Murals at the Po Win Caves – 1
The very next day we organised a major outing to go and see the Po Win caves which are west of Monywa, and around 150km away from our base. This was probably our biggest “find” on the trip.
Idyllic Taungthaman Lake
After visiting and photographing the Kyauktawgyi Pagoda, and feeling more satisfied with ourselves, having done one of the things we had set out to do, we decided to walk back over the U Bein bridge. The bridge is said, at around 1200 metres long, to be the longest teak bridge in the world, and was…
Mural Paintings at Kyauktawgyi Pagoda
King Pagan built the Kyauktawgyi Temple on an island in the Taugthaman Lake in 1847, inside there are many very fine mural paintings showing temples and pagodas from throughout the Burmese Kingdom.
Decorative Mosaics in the Temples and Pagodas in Myanmar
One of the most interesting of the many art forms I came across in Myanmar was the mosaic work, which is often a mixture of small mirrors and stained glass or coloured stones that adorn the temples and pagodas throughout the country.
Sutaungpyai Pagoda, Mandalay
The Sutaungpyai Pagoda, which is situated right on the top of the Mandalay hill is a really wonderful temple to see, with very beautiful and complex mosaic glasswork covering the pillars, walls, ceilings and shrines.
Sandamuni Pagoda, Mandalay
Yesterday we saw the Tipitaka had been carved on marble slabs at the Kuthodaw Pagoda. Right next door at the Sandamuni Pagoda, there are slabs which contain not just the Tipitaka, but the commentaries and sub-commentaries as well.
Kuthodaw Pagoda, Mandalay
The World’s Largest Book stands upright in the grounds of the Kuthodaw Pagoda. It has 730 leaves and 1460 pages; each page is approximately three and a half feet wide, five feet tall and five inches thick.
Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay
The Mahamuni Temple or Pagoda is a complex of structures located along a road from Mandalay leading to Amarapura in the southwest. The temple has a central shrine and is framed by an extensive grass lawn. The arcades leading to the main shrine have, as in many temples and pagodas in Myanmar, kiosks selling religious paraphernalia such as incense, candles, rosaries, flowers, robes, sandals etc., and various restaurants and tea shops.