Buddha, 12 feet in height, thickly plastered
with the pilgrims' offerings of gold-leaf. Behind the temple are the
sacred tanks, whose green and slimy water is alive with turtles, too
lazy or too well fed to eat the dainty morsels thrown to them by the
onlookers, but which are pounced upon by hundreds of hawks, who often
seize the tit-bits before they reach the water.

The courtyards are, as usual, thronged, and pastry-cooks and
story-tellers, soothsayers and musicians, provide refreshment and
amusement to the ever-moving crowd of happy people, at whom we never
tire of looking.

And now, having seen something of the principal pagodas, with their
crowds of worshippers or loiterers, let us take one glimpse of the
ancient city of Pagan.

Splendidly placed upon a commanding site on the river-bank, Pagan was
at one time a populous and wealthy centre. To-day it is the city of
the dead, and the domes and pinnacles of its temples, which cover an
area of 16 square miles, remain silent monuments to its former
greatness. Save for a few priests and scattered families of the
poorest of the people, its population has disappeared centuries ago,
and the land, once fertile, is now covered with aloe, cactus, and
thorn, while an air of weary heat and desolation envelops it. Some
idea of its size may be formed when I tell you that a thousand of its
pagodas are known by name, while as many more are little but a heap of
ruinous brickwork.

Many of its temples are of the greatest historical interest. The
Ananda, built 800 years ago, is larger than St. Paul's, and its
elongated dome and innumerable pinnacles render it as graceful as it
is imposing. There are other temples even larger, while the picture
facing page 80 will give you some little idea of the beauty and
interest of the Shwe Zigon.

Throughout the country temples abound, and in lonely places where no
temple has been built, the lofty "tagundaing" marks some holy spot.
You will find no statues to her Kings in Burma, but in every temple,
in little wayside shrines, and even in the most unfrequented wilds,
the Burmans have erected images of Buddha, founder of their faith.

Nearly one-third of the world's population are Buddhists, and this
fact alone would seem to show how beautiful is the religion they
profess. Buddhism was founded by an Indian Prince called Gautama,
about 600 years before the birth of Christ. This Prince, though heir
to a kingdom, and surrounded by every luxury,