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Buddha is big in Burma even when he's reclining. The Shwethalyaung Buddha is 55 meters long and abides in Bago, a small town about 80 km northeast of Yangon that used to be the capital of southern Burma. He looks relatively new but don't let the paint job fool you, he dates back to 994 AD.

You'd think at that size he'd have trouble getting lost. But he went missing from 1757 when Bago was pillaged by the Bamars until 1880 when British surveyors marking out the railroad stumbled upon him hidden in jungle vegetation.

To make sure that wouldn't happen again they've built what can best be described as an airplane hangar around him. It's a very popular site for tourists and Burmese alike.

The reclining position is meant to symbolize the moment the Buddha entered Nibbana.