Nectar of Life: Myanmar- the land of golden pagodas and tasty pakodas

This is one country that as a whole is spiritually uplifted. I will never be able to describe it in words because I could capture only a very small percentage of the essence of this beautiful place in 14 days. It needs a life time to get into its pulse. The way I was feeling vibrations inside me I felt that I was getting prepared for my next birth here.

Starting with Bago

We landed in Yangon at 9 am on September 10^th, 2019. As has been arranged, Mr. Amo was waiting at the airport to pick us up. First thing I noticed was that he was having a right hand drive car, but he had to drive on the left lane.

While overtaking vehicles, it was a little difficult for him. Majority of the buses were left hand drive, but most of the cars were right hand drive. We straightaway proceeded to Bago.

Located 80 kilometres north east of Yangon, Bago is one of Myanmar’s ancient capitals, known for centuries as Hanthawaddy; in colonial times it was known as Pegu. According to legend, two Mon princes from Thaton founded the city of Bago in 573 AD. They saw a female goose standing on the back of a male goose on an island in a huge lake. Believing this was an auspicious omen, the princes built a city called Hanthawady (Pali: Hamsavati) on the edge of the lake.

Kyaik Pun Pagoda

The Burmese population adhere to Theravada Buddhism. This is the oldest and purest form of original Buddhism. Our first introduction to Burmese Buddha statues started in Kyaik Pun Pagoda, a small Buddhist monastery, known for its four towering images of the Buddha, visible from far away. The impressive 27 meter high images are out in the open, without any shelter. They sit back to back facing the four cardinal directions against a massive brick square central post. The four seated Buddhas wear golden robes and all have slightly different facial expressions. They are in the Bhumisparsha mudra, calling the Earth to witness.

KanBawZaThadi palace

KanBawZaThadi palace and its enclosed museum, our next stop, contained some important history information about the city and the surrounding area. The original one was built for King Bayinnaung in 1556 and consisted of 76 apartments and halls. It was burned down in 1599, reconstructed in 1990 and finished in 1992.

The Nandawya research museum on the grounds of Kanbawzathadi Palce exhibits items and artifacts found during the excavations. The displays show a number of the original 16th-century teak pillars and items like pottery, scales and weights used for commerce, ancient coins, glazed jars, swords and other weapons. Also, there is a collection of 16th-century Buddha images in Mon, Siamese and Burmese styles. The Great Audience Hall, completely covered in gold paint, is a huge hall with rows of large pillars supporting the roof.

Shwemawdaw Pagoda

The Shwemawdaw Pagoda was originally built around the 10th century, C.E. It was destroyed several times due to earthquakes, including one in 1917 and another in 1930. It is the most important monument in Bago and probably its oldest. At present, it is certainly the tallest, rising to a height of 114 meters. It remains a popular pilgrimage destination owing to the belief that within its core are two genuine hair relics of the Buddha conveyed here in ancient times from India.

Shwethalyaung Buddha

The Shwethalyaung Buddha is one of the largest reclining Buddha images in Burma. It is housed in the Shwethalyaung Paya in Bago, an important pilgrimage site for Buddhists who come here to pay homage to the Buddha. The image measuring 55 meters long and 16 meters high depicts the Buddha just before death and entering into Nirvana.

The Shwethalyaung Buddha image was built in 994 by the Mon King Mingadeipka. After the image had fallen into disrepair, it was renovated by King Dhammazedi in the 15th century. After the destruction of Bago that came with the Mon revolt against the Burmese in 1757 the image was forgotten and was overgrown by jungle. It was rediscovered by chance in the colonial era when the British built a railway between Yangon and Bago in 1881. During clearing works the Buddha image was discovered under a mound grown over with thick jungle vegetation and later the image was restored .

Just look at his face, can you feel the peace and compassion exuding? I could feel my heart space opening up, just didn't feel like leaving, but no, there were magical experiences waiting ahead!

We checked into Sea Sar guest house, it started drizzling then. Walking down a little, found a decent place to have dinner. We had learned the local word ‘Thatalo’ that litrally means ‘no living things’ and used to say vehemently while ordering food. Even then it was difficult to make them understand that we wanted pure vegetarian food, and the sauces contained fish. Our driver Mr. Amo was a great asset in translating as the local people could hardly talk in fluent English. And he could also guide and give information on the places we visited.

Second day

We got ready and went down to the same restaurant where we had dinner last night and had breakfast. We noticed that all the girls/ladies and some men were having something like sandal paste applied on their faces, sometimes on hands also. Getting curious, we asked Mr. Amo, who told that it was thanaka, a yellowish-white cosmetic paste made from ground wood.

The wood of several trees may be used to produce thanaka cream; these trees grow abundantly in central Myanmar. Thanaka cream has been used by Burmese women for over 2000 years. It has a fragrant scent somewhat similar to sandalwood. The creamy paste is applied to the face in attractive designs, the most common form being a circular patch on each cheek, nose, sometimes made stripey with the fingers, or patterned in the shape of a leaf, often also highlighting the bridge of the nose with it at the same time. It may be applied from head to toe. Apart from cosmetic beauty, thanaka also gives a cooling sensation and provides protection from sunburn. It is believed to help remove acne and promote smooth skin. It is also an anti-fungal. The word Thanaka in Burmese has two meanings. The first is “Cosmetic for beauty” while the second is “cleansing”. On our request, the lady at the restaurant applied thanaka for my daughter and me.

Then we walked down to the bus stop nearby and got into the truck that would take us to the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda. About 60 people were crammed inside, the seats were wooden. Halfway up we had to stop to let a timed convoy go past before reaching the drop off site. Then we had to walk up an extremely steep road. It was raining during the ride (we opened our umbrella to be protected from the rain, in vain) both ways. Luckily while we were roaming around for an hour, it did not rain! But the whole area was covered with mist, imparting and ethereal beauty.

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, also known as the golden rock. is a well-known Buddhist pilgrimage site in Mon State, Burma. It is a small pagoda built on the top of a granite boulder covered with gold leaves pasted on by its male devotees.

The rock and the pagoda are at the top of Mt. Kyaiktiyo. According to legend, the Golden Rock itself is precariously perched on a strand of the Buddha's hair. The balancing rock seems to defy gravity, as it perpetually appears to be on the verge of rolling down the hill. It is this strand of hair that, according to the legend, prevents the rock from tumbling down the hill.

Another legend states that a Buddhist priest impressed the celestial king with his asceticism and the celestial king used his supernatural powers to carry the rock to its current place, specifically choosing the rock as the resemblance to the monks head. It is the third most important Buddhist pilgrimage site in Burma after the Shwedagon Pagoda and the Mahamuni Pagoda. Currently, women are not allowed into the inner sanctuary of the rock's vicinity, maintained by an employed security guard who watches over the gated entrance. But they are permitted in the outer balcony and the lower courtyard of the rock.

Thaton city

We came back by the truck, and started for Hpa An, visiting Thaton, an ancient Mon city also known as Suvannabhumi or the Golden Land on the way. Thaton was a flourishing port in ancient times and there was constant interaction between Southern India and the region around Thaton and Bago. In Thaton we stopped at Shwe Saryan Pagoda, Kawgon Cave, and Yathaypyan cave.

Shwe Saryan Pagoda

Gautama Buddha arrived in Thaton on the first waning moon day of Thadingyut of 105 Maha Sakarit. Buddha was implored to give a name to the pagoda whereupon Buddha was said to name it Shwe Saryan for its longevity.

Kawgon Cave and Yathaypyan cave

The 7th-century artwork of the Kawgun Cave consists of thousands of tiny clay buddhas and carvings plastered all over the walls and roof of an open cavern. It is also called Cave of the Ten Thousand Buddhas. The cave is more of a rock shelter than a true cave. There are Buddhas everywhere, with a reclining Buddha in a separate outer building. The chamber is lit only by daylight. Kawgon was constructed by King Manuaha after he was defeated in battle and had to take sanctuary in these caves.

Yathaypyan, a couple of kilometres further west, is deeper and requires a torch to reach the viewpoint at the far end. After traversing Yathaypyan Cave, which took about 10 minutes, we emerged at a viewpoint with views over the surrounding countryside.

After the expeditions in the caves and a unique experience, we called it a day. Took a room in Soe Ko Ko motel, had dinner in the nearby Tamarind hotel and slept off.