Shwedagon Paya

Kipling called it 'a golden mystery...a beautiful winking wonder'. As the setting sun casts its last rays on the soft orange dome of the great Shwedagon Paya you can feel the magic in the air. In the heat of the day the stupa glitters bright gold. It can be quiet and contemplative; colourful and raucous. The 'Golden Dagon' is the essence of Myanmar and a place that never fails to enchant.

For Burmese Buddhists, Shwedagon is the most sacred of all Buddhist sites in the country, one which all Burmese hope to visit at least once in their lifetime.

The great golden dome rises 98m above its base. According to legends this stupa - of the solid zedi type - is 2500 years old but archaeologists are nearly unanimous in suggesting the original stupa was built by the Mon sometime between the 6th and 10th centuries. In common with many other ancient zedis in earthquake-prone Myanmar, it has been rebuilt many times and its current form dates back only to 1769.

A common sight in Yangon and Mandalay, private pay phones which cost about 20 kyat (or US$0.06).  Small towns still maintain a manual switchboard.

The ruling military junta, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), not only dominate television, radio and print with propaganda but also the streets...  ...this poster reads:

The Mahazedi (or 'Great Stupa') was contructed in 1560 by King Bayinnaung but destroyed in 1757 during the sack of Bago.  The current construction was completed in 1982, but more notable is the awesome view from the top of the stupa (that's me in the centre of the photograph).  Piercing the surrounding jungle canopy at random intervals are hundreds golden stupas.

This place was bizarre, a large temple complex residing in the middle of a chocolate coloured river.  Whilst people waited for water taxis (left hand side of the island) the surrounding water boiled with catfish fighting for meagre offerings.

The Mingun village is located about 11km up river from Mandalay on the opposite side of the Ayeyarwady river and is only accessible by boat.  The ruins of Mingun Paya would have to rate as one of the highlights of my holiday...  ...even in its present state it is one huge structure.

Twenty thousand slaves laboured to build the massive stupa beginning in 1790.  Work halted in 1819 when King Bodawpaya died, leaving a brick base that stands about a third of its intended height.

Although partially destroyed during an earthquake in 1838 is currently stands 50m high with a base measuring 72x72m.  If completed it would have stood 150m high.

In 1808 King Bodawpaya had a gigantic bell cast to go with his gigantic zedi.  Weight in at 90 tonnes it is claimed to be the largest uncracked bell in the world.

South of Pahtodawgyi, the shallow Taungthaman Lake is crossed by a long and rickety teak bridge.  During the dry season the bridge crosses dry land.  U Bein was the 'mayor' at the time of the shift from Ava, and he wisely salvaged material from the deserted Ava Palace to build this 1.2 km long footbridge.  It has stood the test of time for two centuries and remains the longest teak span in the world.

A typical Myanmar street scene.  On the left hand side of the photograph is a parked public bus, normally second hand Toyota Hilux utes from China.  During particular claustrophobic journey in the back on these vehicles I counted 35 other passengers.

Beggars in Myanmar were surprisingly common.  Although generally regarded as lazy most Myanmar people give without hesitation.  An interesting quirk to the begging industry in Myanmar were people posing as Monks and Nuns.

As a legacy of the influx of South Asians during the British colonial era, Pyin U Lwin township has a large Nepali and Indian ethnic group.  Pyin U Lwin has a large sweater-knitting industry, another large but unpublicised occupation is smuggling goods between Myanmar and China along the Burma Road to the north-east.

The hard-working Intha are famous for propelling their flat-bottomed boats by standing at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar.  This strange leg-rowing technique offers relief to the arms - which are also used for rowing - during the long paddles from one end of the lake to another.

One of holiest sites in the Shan State, it is the home of five gold-leaf-covered statues, of which three are said to be Buddha images, while the remaining two are reportedly Arahats or historical disciples or Buddha.  The gold leaf on the figures has figures has become so thick that it is hard to tell what the figures represent.

The statues were reportedly fashioned during the rein of King Alaungsithu (1112-1167AD).  The gold lumps are so holy that pilgrims rub red strips of cloth against them, then tie the cloth strips to their bikes, cars and trucks to create protective spiritual force-fields around themselves and their vehicles.

Most passengers were already fast asleep sacrificing their bodies to the mosquitoes when I abandoned the bus on the back of a truck to Kyauk Padaung.  The hotel manager in the Kyauk Padaung had to seek special dispensation to allow me to stay (<US$1/night) as none of the hotels in the township had a license for foreigners.

Whilst the temple complex is nothing extraordinary the sight of it atop a huge vertical column of rock is amazing.  The bizarre natural formation, which is more impressive from a distance, is considered the abode of Myanmars most powerful nats and as such is the most important nat worship centre.  At the base of the rocky outcrop there is a display of mannequin-like figures representing the 37 nats.

The extraordinary religious fervour that resulted in this unique collection of buildings lasted two and a half centuries.  Although humans habitation at Bagan dates back almost to the beginning of the Christian era, Bagan only entered its golden period with the conquest of Thation in 1057 AD.  Just over 200 years later, Bagan declined and in 1287 was overrun by the Mongols of Kublai Khan.  But what fantastic effort went into those two and a half centuries - it is as if all the mediaeval cathedrals of Europe had been built in one small area, and then deserted, barely touched over the centuries.

Bagan's prime began with the Burman King Anawrahta's ascent to the throne in 1044.  At the time, Myanmar was in a period of transition from Hindu and Mahayana Buddhist beliefs to the Theravada Buddhist beliefs that have since been characteristic of Myanmar.  Manuha, the Mon king of Thaton, sent a monk to convert Anawrahta; latter met with such success that Anawrahta asked Manuha to give him a number of sacred texts and important relics.  Manuha uncertain of the depths of Anawrahta's beliefs, refused the request.  Anawrahta's reply to this snub was straightforward - he marched his army south, conquered Thaton and carted back to Bagan everything worth carrying, including 32 sets of the Tripitaka (the classic Buddhist scriptures), the city's monks and scholars and, for good measure, King Manuha himself.  All in all some 30,000 Mon prisoners of war were brought to Bagan from Thaton.

Marco Polo described the city state of Bagan in hi famous 1298 chronicle:

"The towers are built of fine stone; and then one of them has been covered with gold a good finger in thickness, so that the tower looks as if it were all of solid gold; and the other is covered with silver in like manner so that it seems to be all of solid silver...  ...The King caused these towers to be erected to commemorate his magnificence and for the good of his soul; and really they do form one of the finest sights in the world, so exquisitely finished are they, so splendid and costly.  And when they are lighted up by the sun they shine most brilliantly and are visible from a vast distance."

Socially, every Burmese male is expected to take up temporary monastic residence twice in his life: once as a samanera or novice monk between the ages of 5 and 15 and again as a fully ordained monk or pongyi sometime after age 20.  Almost all men or boys under 20 years of age participate in the shinpyu or novitiation ceremony - quite a common event since a family earns great merit when one of its sons takes robe and bowl.  A samanera adheres to 10 precepts or vows, which include the usual prohibitions against stealing, lying, killing, intoxication and sexual involvement, along with ones forbidding: eating after noon; listening to music or dancing; wearing jewellery, garlands or perfume; sleeping on high beds; and accepting money for personal use.  A novice usually lasts a week or two - nine days is an auspicious number.

Later in life a male should spend three months as a pongyi at a monastery during the Buddhist Lent (Waso) which begins in July and coincides with the rainy season.  For many men the post-rice harvest, hot-season hiatus between January and April is a more convenient time.  Some men spend as little as three to nine days to accrue merit as monks.  Others may enter the monkhood yet a third time, since three is considered an especially lucky number.

The Rakhine King Minzawmun founded Mrauk U in 1433 and in the next century it became a free port that traded with the Middle East, Asia, Holland, Portugal and Spain; elephant were one of the main commodities supplied from the Rakhine region.  A Dutchman who visited Mrauk U in the 16th century described it as one of the richest cities in Asia, and compared it with Amsterdam and London in size and prosperity.

The Mrauk U dynasty, which lasted 352 years, was much feared by the peoples of the Indian subcontinent and central Myanmar.  Mrauk U kings even hired Japanese samurai as bodyguards against assassination.  At Mrauk U's peak King Minbin (1531-53) created a naval fleet of 10,000 war boats that dominated the Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Martaban.

Pictured to the left is the impressive Dukkanthein at sunset.  Dukkanthein, said to have been constructed by order of King Minphalaung in 1571, loosely translates to 'ordination hall that spiritually reinforces the town'.  The cloisters are lined with 146 Buddha niches along with sandstone reliefs depicting 64 different types of hairstyles for the wives of Mrauk U nobility.

Yadanapon Paya (left) is the largest stupa in the area but was heavily damaged during WW II bombing.

View from the top of the crumbled ruins of Parahia.  At the top-centre of the photograph is most complex and well-preserved of the surviving Mrauk U temples, Shittaung.  And on the right hand side are the temples of Laymyetnha and Dukkanthein.

Shittaung was built in 1535 by King Minbin, the most powerful of the Rakhine kings.  The name means 'Shine of the 80,000 images', a reference to the number of holy images found inside.  A maze-like floor plan - which vaguely resembles a square-cornered pinwheel - suggests the shrine was originally used for Tantric-like initiation rituals.  Though much smaller in size, Shittaung shares many architectural similarities with Indonesia's Borobudur.

Young women returning home after fetching water from a well located near the old temples.  Unlike the rest of Myanmar that use clay pots or rectangular oil tins, Mrauk U residents prefer to use aluminium pots imported from India.

Just under 10 km north of Mrauk U are the remains of the Wethali kingdom.  According to Rakhine chronicles, Wethali was founded in 327 AD by King Mahataing Chandra, Archaeologists believe that this kingdom lasted until the 8th century.  The only remains of the ancient city are parts of the city wall and moat and the pictured structure which used to be the palace prayer hall.