For Whom the Bell Tolls - Myanmar, Mandalay

Aug 06, Mingun Bell

Aug 07, Shwenandaw Kyaung, bell at the entrance

Aug 07, Kuthodaw Pagoda, donation bell vendors

Aug 07, Kuthodaw Pagoda, prayer bell 1

Aug 07, Kuthodaw Pagoda, prayer bell 2

"Before the invention of modern machinery, only bells and heavy artilleries were capable of producing noises that could compete with the thunderous roars of nature. In many ways, the fates of bells and cannons are inexorably intertwined: since they are made out of essentially the same materials, in times of war bells would be confiscated and melted down to create cannons and rifles. When the war was over, bells were then recast out of surplus cannons and weapons. The auditory coverage of bells defines territories, separating one community from another along cultural, religious, or ideological fault lines. Bells also connect individuals. When great care is taken in the tuning of bells, the purity of tone and fullness of volume become sources of collective pride. The abduction of bells on the other hand – often involving violent conflicts – aroused fierce animosities, and individual’s sense of belonging is greatly disturbed by such events." (Alain Corbin, 1998).

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