Page

March 15, 2021

3466 SIERRA LEONE - Man with clothes iron in Freetown

3466 Man with clothes iron in Freetown

Even if Sierra Leone is a resource-rich country, it remains among the world's poorest countries, with 2011 estimates indicating nearly 53% of Sierra Leoneans living below the poverty line, and a life expectancy of 52.2 years. I don't know when this photo was taken, but I think it's significant for the standard of living in this country. Such clothes irons (filled with hot coals, or heated in a fire or on a stove) are no longer used in Europe from 7-8 decades. 

March 14, 2021

1650, 2980, 3359, 3465 THAILAND (Bangkok) - Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha

2980 Wat Pho

Posted on 11.06.2015, 11.03.2017, 16.01.2020, 14.03.2021
Named after a monastery in India where Buddha is believed to have lived, Wat Pho (known also as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha), is a Buddhist temple in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, directly adjacent to the Grand Palace. Prior to the temple's founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine, and statues were created showing yoga positions. An enormous Buddha image from Ayuthaya's Wat Phra Si Sanphet was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767; King Rama I (1782-1809) incorporated its fragments to build a temple to enlarge and renovate the complex.

3359 Inside Wat Pho
 

The temple has sixteen gates around the complex guarded by Chinese giants carved out of rocks. These statues were originally imported as ballast on ship trading with China. The outer cloister has images of 400 Buddhas out of the 1200 originally bought by king Rama V. In terms of architecture, these are varied in different styles and postures, but these are evenly mounted on matching gilded pedestals. The image of reclining Buddha is 15m high and 43m long with his right arm supporting the head with tight curls on two box-pillows of blue, richly encrusted with glass mosaics.

1650 Reclining Buddha of Wat Pho
 

The complex, also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage, was restored and extended in the reign of King Rama III, and again in 1982. It consists of two walled compounds bisected by Soi Chetuphon running east-west. The northern one is where the reclining Buddha and massage school are found, and the southern one (Tukgawee) is a working Buddhist monastery with monks in residence and a school. Outside the temple, the grounds contain 91 chedis (stupas or mounds), four viharas (halls) and a bot (central shrine).

3465 Phra Mondop in Wat Pho

The 3m high and 4.5m long foot of Buddha displays are inlaid with mother-of-pearl. They are divided into 108 arranged panels, displaying the auspicious symbols by which Buddha can be identified like flowers, dancers, white elephants, tigers and altar accessories. Over the statue is a seven tiered umbrella representing the authority of Thailand. There are 108 bronze bowls in the corridor indicating the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha. People drop coins in these bowls as it is believed to bring good fortune, and to help the monks maintain the wat.