Advertisement
Published: March 20th 2012
BAGAN TEMPLES, MANDALAY REGION, MYANMAR. Friday 9 March, 2012.
Our early morning call from reception came at exactly 4.45 am. We were collected as arranged and taken to Internal Departures. The flight was on time and very efficient.We were met in arrivals by our guide who was called Kyaw. He looked about 12, but turns out he was married! He escorted us to our waiting car and driver.
It was about 7.15 am so Kyaw suggested that we should first go to the local market before it closed. This was really interesting with lots of local produce, meat, fish, eggs (duck, quail and hen) sugar products (not cane sugar though), tea - you name it. One food item (which horrified M) was spatch cocked rats which had been cooked and were served with small sharp mangoes. You could see their little claws and their two front teeth staring up at you (revolting!). M purchased a Longyi which is a cylindrical piece of cloth which you step into then wrap the surplus around and tie at the side. A matching top was also procured. Many Myanmar people dress in the traditional Longyi. The men tie theirs at the front rather
than the side.
Next, we started our tour of the Temples that Bagan is famous for. Pagan (Bagan) is a vast city of ruined temples, stupas, pagodas, monasteries and palaces on the banks of the Ayeryarwady (Irrawaddy) river.
Our first stop was Shwezigone Pagoda. This was begun by Anawrahta in the 11th Century and completed by Kyanzittha in the 12th. It is said to enshrine the tooth, collar-bone and other relics of Buddha. This was the most decorated of the Pagodas that we saw on our tour of Bagan. There were many people in the Pagoda complex making offerings and praying. There were also several novice Buddha monks with their shaven heads and maroon coloured robes waiting for the pilgrims to donate some Kyats. When we returned to the car we didn't even bother tying our shoe laces as we realised it would not be long before we had to remove our shoes again.
NB. A stupa is a solid structure with a square base, with a bell-shaped or bulbous dome at the top. It houses sacred relics such as hairs or bones of the Buddha, and the shape represents Mount Meru, the dwelling place of the
Hindu gods.
The pilgrims circle round each terrace, always keeping the shrine on their right-hand side. Temples are generally square and have a hollow chamber inside, with a statue of Buddha at the back wall, or alternatively they may have 4 entrances and a square central pillar with niches on all sides for images. Above the main hall is a number of receding terraces surmounted by a stupa, or a spire which can be round or pyramidal.
The next stop was Gubyaukgyi Temple. This is located south of Bagan at Myinkaba. It is built in the Hindu style and is composed of an antichamber opening onto a vast shrine. It was built in Pyu style in 1113 by Rajakumar. As it is dimly lit our guide used a torch to show us the beautiful paintings that cover the walls of the vestibule, corridor and inner chamber. The corridor niches hold stone images of Buddha and the exterior is decorated with stucco carvings.
Our guide then took us to Htilominlo Temple. This imposing temple was built in 1218 by a king variously called Htilominlo ('Favoured by the umbrella'😉 or Nataungmya ('He of the many ear ornaments'😉. It has
four Buddhas and the faded remains of frescoes. Kyaw's torch was a godsend (or should we say Buddhasend) for seeing these in detail.
The next stop was Shwesandaw Pagoda. This has five steep-square terraces and a bell-shaped dome on an octagonal base. The steps up to the top were very steep and the uppermost terrace is the highest of all those open to the public and the panoramic view of all the pagodas sprouting like mushrooms across the plain is magnificent.
Next was the Ananda Temple. This is the most spectacular of the temples and is easily recognizable from a distance as it has a gilded, mitre shaped dome topped by a tapering pinnacle 51 m (167 feet high). It was built in 1105 by King Kyanzittha and the structure symbolizes the infinite wisdom of the Buddha. The central cube measures 53 metres (174 feet) along each side, rising in elegant terraces. Inside are four standing stautes of Buddha representing Nirvana.
Kyaw then took us for lunch at a restaurant called Tharabar on the edge of Old Bagan Town. He left us to eat and went 'outside' (probably went to snack on a rat). We had some
local food and the mandatory Myanmar Beer.
After lunch we were taken to Kay Minga an area of the temples complex where there are many pagodas very close together - an ideal photo opportunity. It was here that we also came across our first Pagoda that housed 5 Buddha statues.
Next we went to the Aye Yar Pagoda located at a view point loverlooking the Princess Cruise Jetty on the Ayeyarwaddy River. M had indicated that she wanted to be able to say that she had touched the waters of this sacred river. We walked down to the jetty and M dipped her hands into the water. We were right in front of a 100 year old paddle steamer. Kyaw knew the owner of this boat as he had worked on it in his teens. We were invited onboard and took some photos. She was built in Glasgow by Yarrow and Co. Unfortunately she had no name visible anywhere on her hull.
We left the paddle steamer and drove back past Old Bagan to Dhammayangyi. This is the largest of the pagodas in the area, and is unfinished to this day. There is a story surrounding this
one. Apparently a king had two sons and one went off to fight in a war. The second son was left behind and killed his father in order to inherit the crown. Later his older brother returned from the war. The younger son admintted what he had done and begged his older brother for forgiveness. His brother, who had seen a lot of suffering during the war, forgave his younger brother. When the opportunity arose the younger brother killed his older brother so he could once again reign as king. A neighbourning kingdom then sent over a beautiful maiden to be the wife of the king. After he tired of her she was also despatched to an early grave.
At some point this 'king' became full of remorse for what he had done and ordered the building of a pagoda to attone his sins. This was to be the biggest and grandest pagoda in all Bagan. The king died before it was completed and, as he was such a nasty piece of work, no-one has been inclined to finish building it. So the temple remains unfinished. Inside there are back to back statues. One of a reclining female Buddha
figure (said to represent the dead wife) and on the other side two male Buddhas (said to represent the dead father and brother of the king). Despite being unfinished it is still the biggest pagoda in the region.
We then drove back to Old Bagan to Thatbyinnyu Temple. This is the tallest temple of all at 61 metres (200 feet). It was built by Alaungsithu in the middle of the 12th century. A series of steep, narrow stairways between two cubes lead to the upper terrace which contains a huge Buddha image. Unfortunately the upper floors are closed to the public as the age of the building makes climbing the staircases unsafe. There are, however, photographs displayed on the ground floor.
We then left the limits of Old Bagan once again and went to Manuha Temple. This is attributed to the king of Thaton, who was kept prisoner in Anawrahta. After he was released he enclosed, within walls and ceilings, four huge statues of Buddha. The walls were constructed extremely close to the statues, causing the buildings to appear to be very small inside. This was symbolic of his own earlier misfortune, representing the time when he was
imprisoned in Anawrahta. The three seated images represent Buddha touching the earth, have a rather sorry expression, while the reclining image seems to be serenely awaiting delivery by Nirvana. These Buddhas are enormous and appear more so because they are encased in a relatively small building. The toenail of one of them is bigger than M's hand. The reclining buddha has no markings on the soles of his feet. Kyaw explained that this is how you can tell the difference between reclining images that represent either dead or sleeping Buddha. This one was a dead one as the sleeping ones have footprints on their soles.
Next we went to New Bagan where we visited a Lacquerware Factory. This region is famous for lacquerware pots, bowls, furniture and ornaments. Lacquerware is unique to Bagan and found nowhere else. It is used in the royal palaces, the temples, monasteries and homes of the Bagan citizens and remains deeply ingrained in the fabric of Bagan's past and present.
The materials used, are organic. The base product (before decorating ) is made of wood, bamboo or horsehair. We watched how the bamboo is cut into thin strips then it is made into
the appropriate shapes. The horsehair is woven into the bamboo to create a much more flexible article. The base is then coated with the lacquer which is the sap from the Melanorrhea Usitala Tree which is only found deep in the jungles in the north of Myanmar. Once coated with the tree sap the items have to be placed in a very humid environment for the lacquer to set. We were really surprised at this as we expected that the heat of the sun would be needed to set the lacquer. There was a special underground room at the factory for this purpose. Once the lacquer is set the items can be decorated. This usually involves the use of gold leaf. The finished items are very beautiful.
It was now getting late and we needed to return to the airport to catch our flight back to Yangon. On the way we made our last stop at the Dhammayazaka Pagoda. This is another one that visitors are still able to climb. Even though we were absolutely exhausted and our poor bare feet were filthy and really aching we made our way to the top. We took some last photos of
the wonderful valley stretched out before us, before returning to the car and to the airport.
Bagan airport was incredibly efficient again. This time we were flying with Air Bagan. Kyaw checked us in and we said our goodbyes. This time we had red stickers with a flying elephant logo, and there were no allocated seats Ryanair style. The Air Bagan hostesses were dressed in tasteful olive green longyis and matching blouses. The plane took off and arrived on time and we were met by Chang the son of the owner of Nobel Treasure Tours. He took us to our hotel in downtown Yangon so we could shower, change and wash our feet!
We then joined him for a Thai meal at a restaurant called Zawgyi where the three of us sat outside on the terrace (M got eaten alive by mozzies). The restaurant is named Zawgyi after a beloved figure from Myanmar mythology who can fly and has the ability to change a Thuyaung Fruit Tree into a beautiful lady with one touch of his magic stick. We were too tired to appreciate the food or the story about Zawgyi but a glass of Myanmar Beer went
down very well indeed. The Bagan Temples were the overwhelming highlight of our visit to Myanmar. We were taken back to the hotel where we fell into bed and to sleep instantly.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.06s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 7; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0326s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Tony
non-member comment
spatchcock rats
Glad I've already eaten :)