inle lake, jumping cat monastery

http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/michaelasanda-2088828-myanmar54/

Inle Lake is a freshwater lake located in the Shan Hills in Myanmar. It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 44.9 square miles (116 km2), and one of the highest at an altitude of 2,900 feet (880 m). During the dry season, the average water depth is 7 feet (2.1 m), with the deepest point being 12 feet (3.7 m), but during the rainy season this can increase by 5 feet (1.5 m)

Nga Hpe is a wooden monastery, which was built on stilts on Inle Lake, Myanmar just north of Ywama. The monastery was famous for its cats, which were trained by the monks to jump through small hoops.

A rather impressive collection of Buddha statues, some very old indeed, and representing a wide variety of different styles. Most, but not all, are quite small statues albeit usually displayed on lovely carved wooden (mainly) pedestals

Just as impressive as the Buddhas themselves are the tall, highly ornate, wood-and-mosaic pedestals and cases built for the images. Such pedestals are the specialties of Shan and Northern Thai Buddhist art and those at the monastery are over 100 years old.

The Nga Phe Kyaung is the biggest and oldest monastery in Inle Lake.

It is a beautiful wooden structure that was built on stilts over the lake at the end of the 1850s.

The monastery itself is meant to have been built in the mid 19th Century and is an entirely wooden building built on stilts right over the water. As usual in Lake Inle you have to arrive and leave here by boat.

Off the main hall there is another section with maybe 20 or so handicraft/souvenir stalls. But unlike most other places in Myanmar you don't go through the stalls first before you get to the Paya or Kyaung itself.

Text: Internet

Pictures: Sanda Foişoreanu & Internet

Copyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanu www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound Hlaing Win Maung - Birds enjoing themselvesin the green lake