Mountains of Burma. Fuji Velvia, August 2001.

In August 2001 I spent two weeks traveling in Burma (Myanmar). It was probably the place where I saw the fewest foreign travelers of anywhere I’ve ever been. The first week I was there, I don’t think I saw any other than in passing and at a distance. If you are looking for a place in Asia that still allows you to get off the beaten track so to speak, Burma is probably where you should go. Friendly people and beautiful scenery mix with bone-jarring long bus rides and a general lack of freedom to make it an eye opening experience. Here are a few scans of some of the scenery.

Looking down at the plains. Fuji Velvia, August 2001.

Pagoda in the mountains. Burma. Fuji Velvia, August 2001.

Agriculture in Burma. Fuji Velvia. August 2001

Payathonzu Temple, Bagan, Burma.

Where can you find over 2000 ruined Buddhist temples in a relatively small area with few tourists and friendly local people? If you answered Bagan, Burma, then you are correct. If you didn’t, read on for a look at this fascinating place.

Burma aka Myanmar is a relatively isolated southeast Asian nation. Political issues mean that it’s generally cut off from the world and despite being located next to one of the regions most heavily traveled countries, Burma sees very few tourists. For those that do make it there, the traveling is far from easy but the rewards more than make up for any hardships encountered.

Debate rages over whether or not to travel to the country. On one hand there’s the argument that travel legitimizes the regime in Burma and only serves to benefit the government. Conversely, there are those that say it’s only by traveling there can people see what life is like and hence place pressure on their own governments to take action with regards to conditions on the ground. I’ve generally found that opinion is fairly evenly divided between both arguments and it was after considerable thought that I elected to go there back in 2001.

Thatbinyu Temple, Bagan, Burma

My main destination was to be the ancient city of Bagan in central Burma. I flew into the capital Yangon (formerly Rangoon) and spent a few days there before boarding an overnight bus for the 500km 18 hour ride to Mandalay. After a few days in Mandalay, it was down to the Ayeyarwady River for a pleasant 6 hour boat ride to Bagan where I planned to stay for a week.

Bagan covers an area of 41 square kilometers and between the 9th and 13th centuries CE, it was a major city, attracting monks and scholars from as far away as India and the Khmer empire. King Pyinbya moved the capital of Burma to the city in 857CE and the area flourished for the next 500 years, first as the capital and then after 1057CE, as an important religious and cultural center.

Bagan, Burma (Myanmar)

The Bagan Dynasty was the first to bring together the various regions that make up most of present day Myanmar. For 250 years until it fell to Mongol invasions, the kingdom helped lay the foundation for Burmese language and culture and played a key role in the growth of Theravada Buddhism throughout southeast Asia. Between the 11th and 13th centuries in particular, the building of temples proceeded at an astonishing pace. It’s though that over 10 000 were constructed during this time, 3000 of which remain in various states of ruin and restoration today.

Temples at Bagan, Burma (Myanmar)

One of the better restored temples is the Mahabodhi temple (seen below). Modeled after the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya, India, it was constructed during the reign of King Htilominlo in the mid-twelfth century. Destroyed by an earthquake in 1975, it has been completely restored to it’s original state since. The niches around the stupa contain over 450 Buddha images. Unlike most temples in the region, the Mahabodhi temple is based on a square block and the tower rises from this base.

Mahabodhi Temple, Bagan

Mahabodhi Temple, Bagan

Once you arrive in Bagan, getting around the various temples is remarkably easy. The plain is perfectly flat and there’s very little traffic making it perfect for cycling around. Basic bicycles can be rented in various locations in Bagan and it is a popular way to get around, especially if you avoid the heat of the noon hours. It’s also possible to travel around by horse cart or for those pressed for time, car. Getting out early is recommended as the area is blessed with beautiful early morning light. The river area is also worth a look, particularly around sunset as you sip a cold drink and soak up the atmosphere.

Sunset on the Ayeyarwady River, Bagan.

Bagan and Burma in general is not for the faint hearted. Travel there is very rough and basic and a lot of creature comforts may be lacking. That said, if you have a bit of a thirst for adventure and want to experience a land that few others do, it makes a great choice. Costs in-country are relatively cheap. In general, it is a very safe place to travel. There are, from time to time, political protests that may make things a little dangerous, however these can be easily avoided. I’ll leave you with a few more photographs from Bagan to conclude this post.

Temples beside the road in Bagan, Burma (Myanmar).

Temples dot the landscape in Bagan, Burma (Myanmar).

Temples and trees at Bagan, Burma (Myanmar)

Dominating the skyline of the city of Yangon (formerly Rangoon) in Myanmar (Burma) is the Shwedagon Pagoda. Revered by the Burmese, it is the most sacred of all the Buddhist pagodas in Burma, housing relics of the past four Buddhas. In the Buddhist tradition, the present era (kalpa) has five Buddhas, with four having already appeared and the fifth, Maitreya, still to come. Shwedagon pagoda holds relics of each of the previous four Buddhas, those being the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Konagamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight hairs of Gautama, the historical Buddha.

Buddhist legend says that Shwedagon pagoda was constructed about 2500 years ago in 486BC. Archaelogists suggest a date somewhere betwen the 6th and 10th century CE. The legend says that two brothers, Taphussa and Bhallika, from Ramanya (present day Mon state, Myanmar) traveled to India and met Gautama, the historical Buddha. Receiving eight hairs from him, the returned to Burma with the assistance of King Okkalapa and found Singattara Hill (Shwdegaon), where the relics of the previous Buddhas were located.

The site fell into disuse until the 1300s when King Binnya U, of Bago, had the pagoda rebuilt, reaching a height of 18m. The stupa underwent several rebuilds over the next 200 years, finally reaching its present height of 98m sometime in the 16th century. Over the years, the paya has suffered damage from earthquakes, wartime pillaging and vandalism. Most recently, the stupa was a central location in the September 2007 protests by monks against the ruling regime.

The gold seen on the stupa is made of gold plates, covering the brick structure attached by traditional rivets. Burmese people from all over the country, as well as monarchs in its history, have donated gold to the pagoda to maintain it. It was started in the 15th century by the Mon Queen Shin Sawbu who gave her weight in gold and the tradition continues to this day. The base or plinth of the stupa is made of bricks covered with gold plates. Above the base are terraces  that only monks and men can access. Next is the bell-shaped part  of the stupa. Above that is the turban, then the inverted almsbowl, inverted and upright lotus petals, the banana bud and then the crown. The crown or umbrella is tipped with 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies. The very top, the diamond bud  is tipped with a 76 carat (15 g) diamond.

Burmese Buddhist tradition dictates that visitors to the pagoda must remove their shoes before the first step at any of the four entrances. The southern and eastern approaches have traditional shops selling books, good luck charms, Buddha images, candles, gold leaf, incense sticks, prayer flags, streamers, miniature umbrellas and flowers. Once inside, it is customary to move around the stupa in a clockwise direction. There are eight planetary posts, each representing a different day of the week, with Wednesday split into two for a.m. and p.m. These positions have particular importance in the Burmese astrology, which is based on Hindu astrology. Thus, it is vital for a Burmese person to know the day of their birth in order to know where they should perform rituals.

Shwedagon Pagoda was most famously dexribed in literature by Rudyard Kipling in his 1899 work From Sea to Sea and Other Sketches– Letters of Travel vol. 1.  He wrote

“Then, a golden mystery upheaved itself on the horizon, a beautiful winking wonder that blazed in the sun, of a shape that was neither Muslim dome nor Hindu temple-spire. It stood upon a green knoll, and below it were lines of warehouses, sheds, and mills. Under what new god, thought I, are we irrepressible English sitting now?”

As well as the afore mentioned 2007 protests, Shwedagon was also the site of a mass rally in August 1988, where Aung San Suu Kyi addressed half a million people calling for democracy and elections. This led to the forming of the National League for Democracy (NLD) the following month, who went on to easily win the only elections to be held in 1990. The military government refused to hand over power however, a situation that continues today. Aung San Suu Kyi has subsequently spent the better part of the last two decades under house arrest, with the latest period due to expire this month.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at Shwedagon Pagoda. Have you subscribed to my RSS feed yet? Make sure that you do and you won’t risk missing out on anything in the future. Feel free to retweet this post and share it with your friends and social media networks. Thank you.

11km from Mandalay, on the western bank of the Ayeyarwady river lies the town of Mingun. It’s main attraction is the unfinished Buddhist stupa, Mingun Paya.

Construction of the Mingun Paya began in 1790. The unfinished stupa is known as “Bodawpaya’s Folly” because, some say, the king (1782-1819) built it too large to be completed. Other stories state that the temple was not completed, due to an astrologer claiming that, once the temple was finished, the king would die. At any rate, an army of thousands (slaves and prisoners) labored to erect the monument. Work stopped in 1819, when the king died. A further alternate theory is that this may actually be a finished structure, with the top deliberately left flat. This seems unlikely, however, since there would be no precedent for such a design.

A giant bell was also cast, weighing 90 tons and taking 2 years to create. The outer diameter of the rim of the bell is 16 feet and 3 inches. The height of the Bell is 12 feet on the exterior and 11.5 feet in the interior. The outside circumference at the rim is 50.75 feet. The Bell is 6 inches to 12 inches thick and stands 20.7 feet high from the rim to the top. It is still today the largest ringing bell in the world.

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