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Published: February 11th 2007
Fisherman
At sunrise. BaganLittle did we know when setting off to explore a couple more of the four thousand or so temples of Bagan, that a few hours later we'd be backstage meeting the stars at a 'pwe' - a pagoda (temple) festival. Our self appointed guide, who was all of 15 years old was thrilled to be the one who had brought these exotic foreigners with cameras back behind the scenes, to the place where the travelling performers live, sleep & metamorphasize into all manner of characters once on stage.
Despite the cool weather, we'd chosen this time of year to visit Burma again knowing that there was a good chance of stumbling upon a lot of festivals. The first such experience was at Alo Pyi Pagoda here in Bagan. Large outdoor pwes or festivals are held for various reasons - a wedding or celebration, or in this case, to raise money for a pagoda. Giant outdoor bamboo stages are constructed, often in the street, although in this case in a field, while market stalls & fairground type rides often travel with the performers too. Shows start around 9pm & more often than not go on until close
to sunrise - these shows are a rare opportunity for locals to gather in large groups & enjoy themselves, something normally outlawed by the military government.
The shows provide entertainment of all genres. They may begin with a finely tuned traditional dance & move into Burmese pop. From there some slapstick comedy & then for a few hours after midnight lengthy theatre - perhaps a story from a classic Buddhist tale like the Ramayana. All the while musicians add rousing accompaniment on a selection of drums, cymbals, & variations of oboe & a flute. While the epic storytelling may be largely lost on us, singing, dancing & slapstic comedy knows no borders.
Nearby giant bamboo ferris wheels powered entirely by humans keep spinning & kids gamble their money away on all kinds of rubber band target shooting & marble rolling.
Backstage, the performers were in love with our cameras & insited we print off copies of all of their pictures. Watching the show intimately from the side of the stage may be some kind of honour, but that nagging feeling that any minute now they'll drag you in for some impromtu audience partcipation never goes away. Meanwhile
Performer
Backstage, Bagan our new friend, the 15 year old, took one of our cameras off exploring & taking photos of the girls that he said were all his girlfriends. There's not many places in the world where you would give your brand new camera to a 15 year old boy that you'd just met & let him run off with it.
Numerous pwe troupes operate across the country, making a meagre existence from the shows that are often performed for free. Poor as they may be, some seem to be megastars in their field - although the audience never applauds, gifts for performers are common - one male singer found himself showered with flowers, a soft drink, a wallet & ahem, a calculator. One person offered money but it wasn't accepted. Perhaps it was too much. Perhaps not enough?
Bagan is home to so many temples, that no one really knows how many there are. It's said that at it's peak as an ancient capital, around a thousand years ago, there were some 4400 built over a period of 230 years.
Similarly, no one is sure why in the 13th century the ancient city was left to decay, but
Buddha & Murals
Hidden away, Bagan either way it is believed to have something to do with Mongels sent by Kublai Khan from China. The temples were left to the elements and looters & in 1975, an earthquake.
Most of the ruins lay on the same plain & are easily explored by bicycle. Some can be climbed, most of those that can provide stunning views of the thousands of ruins all around. Although none provide the simple serenity of Angor Wat, en mass the sight is staggering.
Temples vary in structure, from small bell like stupas to giant square towers. Many contain ancient murals, & in a typically Burmese fashion, many of these are locked or hidden away unless you make the effort to find them. Almost none of the murals are lit, but the light of a torch can throw a beam on the most stunning of scenes - from giant Buddhas to epic stories of from the times of Bagan.
The lack of industry & development in Burma provides for stunning blue skies this time of year. However with a lack of cloud cover, as the sun drops the air cools too - travelling this far north from Yangon leads to
very chilly nights.
Some years ago the powers that be moved the main village in Bagan away, so that the tour groups in their air con busses wouldn't be upset by the locals. Hard as they try though, the government just can't get it right. They've recently 'closed' the most popular sunrise spot, Mingalazedi Pagoda. Those willing to raise at 5am & bear the early morning chill were in for a stunning sight as the plain of thousands temples comes alive. I was in this exact spot around the turn of the millennium, from here I watched the sun rise on the 21st century. Nowadays the government prefers that you spend $10 & climb the giant observation tower that not only scars the stunning landscape, but also sits in the wrong position for any decent sunset or sunrise viewing. We never made it to the tower.
Creating a very different atmosphere to that of other Asian temple ruins is the fact that here many locals still live amongst the crumbling structures. The desert landscape is still farmed, with ox, buffalo & horses all around. despite Old Bagan village being moved away it is still very much a living
Thanboddhye
Colourful. Monywa area. The number of temples is growing again today, with wealthy Burmese building around 300 new structures so far this century, in an effort to gain merit & earn a better chance in the next life.
Fotunately the people of Bagan look to the future not the past & like most people in Burma, are still unfathomably kind & generous. There are many reasons for their being this way, but most obvious is their devotion to Buddhism. Many will tell you that it's more of a philosophy that a religion - and that as they see it, other major religions are all the same. They live their lives along the simple principle that they should be good people & do go towards others. Some do say that by being so kind & giving in this life, they hope to reach Nirvana earlier, hence ending the cycle of rebirth, so they won't have to return to another life under the current government.
Being invited for a feast with a family, with food that's normally way beyond their means becomes the norm. Finding that they'll accept no money & that when you give gifts they ply you with even more
gifts in return, is just another typical day in Burma. One instance was that at San Thi Dar, a small restaurant near the museum. It came about purely because we took an interest in what the 10 year old boy there had been learning at school that day. In excellent English he explained that today he'd learnt geometry, English, Burmese & about Abyssinia & Babylon. He told us that he plans to be an engineeer & build aeroplanes - hopefully some day he makes it. The kindness of this family was exceptional; we could learn a lot from them.
Somewhere between the ancient city of Bagan & recent capital Mandalay, lay the somewhat surreal sites of Thanbodhye & Bohdi Tataung. Following a sunrise ferry trip, a ride on a horse & cart, a cramped bus & finally a trishaw (bicycle with two seats attached), we found ourselves in Monywa from where we set off again in a blue mini Mazda taxi to explore.
Thanbodhye really defies explanation. It's a kitsch homeage to Buddha - an orange, pink & gold building, garishly lined with lions, tigers & guardians, not to mention plenty of gold stupas. Inside are a mere
582,357 Buddhas; from pocket sized armies to giants that have attained Nirvana & have multi coloured flashing lights around their heads.
Beside this stunning building sits a gracefully decaying one, built by the Singaporean brothers that made their fortune producing Tiger Balm. Surreal figures modelled on the brothers guard the entrance of this bright orange building that is home to numerous tiger images, including a few trying to escape the decay over the walls.
Perhaps more surreal is nearby Bodhi Tataung, which is fast becoming a Buddha theme park. Although there are Buddhas in just about every direction, it's the collosal reclining Buddha & his friend that bear down from the hillside that are most impossible to hide from. Although a staggering 90m (295ft) long, the reclining Buddha still manages to be overshadowed by the cloud reaching giant that is still being built behind him. Likely to be 167m (547ft) tall once finished, this figure is currently half Buddha & half steel wire. As if these aren't enough, another Buddha, laying on his back, is also being built just down the road.
In a land where every hilltop, every town, & whichever way you look you can
already see a Budda or a temple it's easy to wonder if they really need any more. But by donating money to create new ones, the people earn merit that will help their quest for a better life in their next incarnation. For some perhaps an end to the cycle for good.
Thinking of heading to Burma? Not sure about the tourist boycott? Feel free to contact me for more info about the country or whether you should go or not Wellington - Sydney - Bangkok - Khao Lak - Chaweng (Koh Samui) - Lamai (Koh Samui) - Bangkok - Macau - Guangzhou - Yangshuo - Guangzhou - Zhengzhou - Guangzhou -Shanghai - Huang Shan - Shao Lin - Beijing - Xi'an - Chengdu - Leshan - Kanding - Tagong - Litang - Xiang Cheng - Zhongdian - Lijiang - Kunming - Hekou/Lao Cai - Hanoi - Cat Ba Island - Ninh Binh - Hanoi - Hue - Hoi An - Hue - Hanoi - Sapa - La Chau - Son La - Mai Chau -Hanoi - China Beach - Hoi An - China Beach - Quy Nhon - Kon Tum - Saigon - Phnom Penh - Pursat - Battambang - Siem Reap - Anlong Veng - Siem Reap - Kompong Cham - Kratie - Ban lung (Ratanakiri) - Kratie - Phnom Penh - Kampot - Sihanoukville - Bangkok - Kanchanaburi - Bangkok - Rangoon - Bagan - Monywa
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Stayloose
ben
Isn't Religion Wonderful
Nice writing mate, beautiful photo's to. You manage to bring back the magic and beauty of Burma. And yet again the human race wasts money on religion... Like the Nigerian MP who when asked why their country was one of the poorest, most violence, corrupt and dangerous in the world and what solutions they had to solve the problem, replied with "We just need to pray harder".