Maha Gandayone Monastery attracts flocks of visitors eager to see the daily life of hundreds of monks on the compound. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)| Known for its focus on discipline
Maha Gandayone Monastery attracts flocks of visitors eager to see the daily life of hundreds of monks on the compound. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)| Known for its focus on discipline
Maha Gandayone Monastery attracts flocks of visitors eager to see the daily life of hundreds of monks on the compound. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)| Known for its focus on discipline
Maha Gandayone Monastery attracts flocks of visitors eager to see the daily life of hundreds of monks on the compound. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)| Known for its focus on discipline
Maha Gandayone Monastery attracts flocks of visitors eager to see the daily life of hundreds of monks on the compound. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)|Buddhist monks have their lunch at Maha Gandayone Monastery. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)||Buddhist monks take lecture at Maha Gandayone Monastery. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)|Buddhist monks take lecture at Maha Gandayone Monastery. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)| Known for its focus on discipline
Maha Gandayone Monastery attracts flocks of visitors eager to see the daily life of hundreds of monks on the compound. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)
Known for its focus on discipline, Maha Gandayone Monastery attracts flocks of visitors eager to see the daily life of hundreds of monks on the compound. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)
Known for its focus on discipline, Maha Gandayone Monastery attracts flocks of visitors eager to see the daily life of hundreds of monks on the compound. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)
Known for its focus on discipline, Maha Gandayone Monastery attracts flocks of visitors eager to see the daily life of hundreds of monks on the compound. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)
Known for its focus on discipline, Maha Gandayone Monastery attracts flocks of visitors eager to see the daily life of hundreds of monks on the compound. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)
Buddhist monks have their lunch at Maha Gandayone Monastery. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)
Buddhist monks take lecture at Maha Gandayone Monastery. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)|Mornings are a spectacle of tranquility and tradition at Mandalay’s Maha Gandayone Monastery. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)|Mornings are a spectacle of tranquility and tradition at Mandalay’s Maha Gandayone Monastery. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)|Lunch for monks is prepared at Maha Gandayone Monastery. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)||Mornings are a spectacle of tranquility and tradition at Mandalay’s Maha Gandayone Monastery. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)| Known for its focus on discipline
Buddhist monks take lecture at Maha Gandayone Monastery. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)
Buddhist monks take lecture at Maha Gandayone Monastery. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)
Known for its focus on discipline, Maha Gandayone Monastery attracts flocks of visitors eager to see the daily life of hundreds of monks on the compound. (Photo: Zaw Zaw / The Irrawaddy)
MANDALAY — Mandalay’s Maha Gandayone Monastery, known in Burma for its strict emphasis on discipline and Buddhist lectures, has for years been a consistent tourist draw. Each morning, throngs of people crowd around the monastery to snap pictures of the hundreds of novices and more seasoned monks lining up for meals inside the tranquil compound.
The monastery’s motto is “perfect discipline,” and it carries fundamental importance for some 900 monks rigorously studying Buddhist literature on the grounds. And for tour guides, Maha Gandayone Monastery is perfect for illuminating to wide-eyed visitors the daily life of Burma’s monks as well as their guiding Buddhist traditions.
