The Buddha Statue Workshops of Mandalay

MANDALAY, Myanmar (Burma) – Covered from head to toe with thick white dust, crouching low on their launches, the young men and boys use angle grinders to carve statues of the Buddha out of solid blocks of white marble.

Carving Marble Statues of the Buddha in Mandalay, Myanmar

Myanmar / Burma Travel Update

Since I was there, the situation in Myanmar/Burma has changed a lot. In February 2021, a military coup sparked widespread civil unrest and armed conflict.

The U.S. State Department currently advises: "Do not travel to Burma due to civil unrest and armed conflict." You can find their full travel advisory and security alerts here. And you can find the British Foreign Office's travel advice for Myanmar / Burma here.

It’s dusty and backbreaking work. Covered from head to toe with thick white dust, crouching low on their haunches, the young men and boys use simple angle grinders to carve the shape out of solid blocks of white marble.

Some of the statues will be only a couple of feet tall. Others will tower 8 to 10 feet of solid marble. With remarkable skill, the artisans add ever finer detail with their angle grinders. Others in the workshop, often women and children, will later polish the statue’s surface to a smooth finish.

Myanmar lies in the historical heartland of Buddhism, and it often seems that everywhere you look you see one or more temples or stupa. Nearly 90 percent of the country’s estimated 56 million people identify as Buddhist.

That creates a healthy demand for statues of The Buddha, whether it’s for public temples or shrines in private homes or businesses.

And much of the demand from around the country (but not all of it) is met by this cluster of workshops on Kuauk Sit Tan Street in the Chanmyathazi neighborhood of Mandalay surrounding the Mahamuni Temple, one of the country’s holiest pilgrimage sites.

The artisans create all of the statues by hand. Customers can choose from amongst the hundreds of finished statues lying out, with an endless variety of sizes and styles. Or they can order one customized to their preferences, specifying important symbolic elements like particular facial expressions or hand gestures.

Many of the statues on display in the workshops remain unfinished, with blank blocks for the heads, awaiting a customer’s instructions. Transporting the larger statues to the customer is another feat–these can be incredibly heavy.

Photos of the Marble Buddha Workshops of Mandalay

Carving Marble Statues of the Buddha in Mandalay, Myanmar
Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Carving Marble Statues of the Buddha in Mandalay, Myanmar
You can see some examples of the different sizes that they’re working on. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Carving Marble Statues of the Buddha in Mandalay, Myanmar
You can see many of the ones here have plain blocks for the heads. Those are blank slates, as it were, waiting for the customer to specify their preferred visage and expression. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Carving Marble Statues of the Buddha in Mandalay, Myanmar
Some of the workshops are undercover. Others are outdoors, with simple tarps providing some shade from the hot sun for the artisans. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Carving Marble Statues of the Buddha in Mandalay, Myanmar
More part-finished statues with blocks for the heads waiting for customers to choose their preferred style. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Carving Marble Statues of the Buddha in Mandalay, Myanmar
Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Carving Marble Statues of the Buddha in Mandalay, Myanmar
Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Carving Marble Statues of the Buddha in Mandalay, Myanmar
Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Carving Marble Statues of the Buddha in Mandalay, Myanmar
Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Carving Marble Statues of the Buddha in Mandalay, Myanmar
Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Carving Marble Statues of the Buddha in Mandalay, Myanmar
Some smaller statues on the showroom floor. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel

What to Know Before You Go

These are active workshops. You’re welcome to wander around and have a look in most of them. Mind the uneven steps and power cables strewn about, and expect thick clouds of dust in the air.

David Coleman / Photographer

David Coleman

I'm a freelance travel photographer based in Washington DC. Seven continents, up mountains, underwater, and a bunch of places in between. My images have appeared in numerous publications, and you can check out some of my gear reviews and tips here. More »