0199 - Mandalay: close-up of the Maha Muni Buddha - there is more gold in Myanmar than in any European bank.

Myanmar (Burma), Mandalay: close-up of the Maha Muni Buddha.

About 3 km from the city centre of Mandalay, on the way to Amarapura (that's another 8 km ), you can find the Maha Muni Pagoda (Great Sage Pagoda). Build in 1784 and a century later reconstructed after a fire. It is housing the golden Maha Muni Buddha. The statue is 3,8 meters high and is covered at some places (except for the face) with more than 3 cm thick gold leaf.