The historic village of Indein, Myanmar was founded by monks around the 3rd century B.C, who wanted to spread Buddhism across the country. Hundreds of pagodas, ornaments, and statues of Buddha were built around the area, but with time, the village was abandoned and its temples were consumed with greenery. Nowadays, the site stands as a visual contradiction of old and new, as people have begun renovating and preserving the historic structures little by little, surrounding the crumbling temples with brand new white stupas.
Photographer Romain Veillon had the chance to explore and photograph Indein, capturing the raw remains of the historic site.
In tradition, pagodas are historic tiered towers commonly found in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Nepal, and other parts of East Asia, built for religious purposes.
These specific structures are called Shwe Inn Thein pagodas, and decorated with stucco carvings of mythical animals, celestial beings named Naga Serpents, mythical lions named Chinthe, and carvings of the Buddha.
