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BIRMAII. 207
seated on a pedestal in its customary position. The
height of the idol,
pedestal,
from the top of the head to the
is nearly twenty-four feet. The head is
eight feet in diameter; across the breast it measures
ten feet; and the hands are between five and six
feet long. The pedestal, which is also of marble,
is raised eight feet from the ground. The neck and
left side of the image are gilded, but the right arm
and shoulder remain uncovered. It was declared to
be composed of one block of marble, nor could Col.
Symes, on the closest inspection, observe any junction
of parts.
Ava was, at this period, the resort of numerous
thieves, who found concealment among its decayed
buildings. To any onejicquainted with the fickle character
of Asiatic rulers, it will cause no surprise to
learn, that recent accounts represent Ava as likely again
to resume its ancient honours as once more the capital
of the empire. Amarapura was the creation of Mindera-
jee-praw ; its streets were laid out on the same plan as
those of Ava. The will of the emperor once expressed,
will soon restore the old city to its former splendour,
and throw back the modern capital into a similar state
of neglect and ruin.
On leaving Ava, the river bends again to the north-
ward, when the opposite city of Chagaing, and the
spires, the turrets, and the lofty piasath of Amarapura,
create an unexpected pleasure, and exhibit a
fine contrast to the gloomy and deserted walls of Ava.
Chagaing, on the northern side, has also been an im-
perial residence, and is noted in Birman history. It
is situated partly at the foot, and partly on the side of
a rugged bill, which is broken into separate eminences;
and on each summit stands a spiral temple. These
temples, rising irregularly one above another to the
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