Amarapura, the center of Buddha statue production.
The stone workshops in Amarapura, a district of Mandalay in Myanmar, are known for the production of Buddha figures from marble. Amarapura has a long tradition of sculpture, dating back to the 18th century, when the city was briefly the capital of Myanmar.
Overview of the stone workshops:
Material: The sculptors mainly use white marble, which is sourced from nearby quarries, especially from the region around Sagyin. This marble is known for its high quality and is particularly suitable for the fine detail work required in the production of Buddha statues.
Craft tradition: Entire families or communities usually work in the workshops, passing on their skills from generation to generation. The art of sculpture is often learned at a young age, and craftsmen specialize in certain aspects of the creative process, such as rough sculpting of figures, fine carving, or polishing.
Manufacturing process:
Rough block processing: The first step is to roughly carve large blocks of marble into the desired shape. This work is often done with heavy tools such as hammers and chisels.
Detailed work: After the rough shaping, the statue is worked out in detail by experienced craftsmen. Here, facial features, folds of the robes and other fine details are carved into the marble.
Polishing: After the carvings are completed, the statue is polished to make the marble shine. This process requires a lot of patience and care to make the surface smooth and flawless.
Various Buddha representations: The workshops produce a variety of Buddha statues that vary in size, pose, and style. The most famous poses are the meditating Buddha, the standing Buddha and the reclining Buddha. Each pose has its own symbolic meaning in the Buddhist tradition.
Significance and export: The marble Buddhas from Amarapura are highly sought after not only in Myanmar, but also internationally. They are often placed in temples, monasteries and private homes. Many of the statues made are also exported to other Buddhist countries, such as Thailand, Laos and Sri Lanka.
The stone workshops in Amarapura are a living testimony to Myanmar's rich cultural and religious traditions. Combining craftsmanship with deep religious faith, they create works of art that are of great importance both aesthetically and spiritually. | Myanmar
this is so cool! even i would like to shoot something like this one day!
wow … very cool … is this a restoration job ?
@crash Ryan: no, these are all new sculptures