Glimmering Bagan pagodas shine through for Myanmar

Glimmering Bagan pagodas shine through for Myanmar

YANGON, Myanmar (JP): Burma, as it is still called by the
majority of its population, has also been dubbed the "Land of the
Pagodas". Pagodas are indeed the first structures seen upon
setting foot in the country.

In Yangon, the golden tops sprout up from amidst the
buildings. They become flickering towers at noon, the fierce rays
of the sun making the golden yellow roofs blinding. At dusk, the
golden tops stand out like alien torches in a surrealistic
landscape. In the countryside, smaller temples in yellow and
white dot the fields like rare flowers.

Ingrained in the culture, Buddhism is closely interwoven into
the lives of the Burmese. The Buddhist understanding of the
universe is totally different from materialistic and scientific
concepts. Buddhism divides the world in three spheres: the Arupa
Loka, the upper realm of formlessness; the Rupa Loak, the middle
realm of form and material being; and the Kama Loka, the lower
sphere of sensual pleasure and desire. Simplified, Buddhism
teaches that everyone can attain Buddhahood or the upper realm of
formlessness, depending on their good deeds during their lives
through perpetual reincarnation. Building a temple, stupa or
zedis is among the highest merits a Buddhist can earn, which may
explain the great number of pagodas spread all over Myanmar. An
astounding number of different architectural styles and Buddha
statues types points to outside influences from India, Khmer and
Thailand.

Of the pagodas I visited in Yangon and beyond, I found the
most impressive atmosphere in the Yanmar Shwedagon pagoda.
Towering over the city of Yangon, the Shwedagon pagoda attracts
tens of thousands of pilgrims every year. As dusk falls, and the
last rays of the setting sun cast a rosy glow over the 98-metre-
high golden dome, the people in pious contemplation and devout
prayer complement the flowers brought in worship, generating the
temple's magic.

The golden stupa is an impressive monument dating back 2,500
years. It houses eight sacred hairs of the Buddha. Legend has it
that the hairs were given by the Buddha to Burmese merchants to
thank them for cakes and honey they offered him when they met
under the sacred bo tree in India. Covered in about 60 tons of
gold leaf, the structure also has a special place where jewelry
donated by wealthy believers is kept.

The remarkable shrines around the pagoda denote the eight days
of the week, with Wednesday being divided into Wednesday morning
and Wednesday afternoon. Pilgrims pay homage to the shrine of the
day they were born, ensuring that each shrine is cared for and
beautified with flowers. The few hours spent at the Shwedagon
were only enough to feel the atmosphere at dusk, but spending
more time allows for a study of the architectural specialties, as
well ass time to revel among the many statues. The may all like
the Buddha to a layperson, but they also represent honored
Buddhists who may not have yet reached Buddhahood but are somehow
close to that realm.

The nats, the spirits of an animistic belief that has been
incorporated in Myanmar's Buddhism, are also interesting.

For me, Bagan, formerly called Pagan, in Central Myanmar,
remains the experience that illustrates the juxtaposition of
antiquity and eternity. It was worth the grueling 12-hour drive
from Yagon to Puy in a battered, hot van. I spent the night in a
small and simple guesthouse in Puy, before hitting the road for
another.... hours to Bagan.

It was the dry season, and temperatures went up to almost 40
degrees Celsius. Now and then we would stop to take a picture,
visit a monastery, or just walk around to stretch our legs and
chat with traditional snack vendors. Here in the countryside, I
saw more children than in the whole of Yangon. Sometimes the van
passed by soldiers, some as young as 15 years old.

Bagan, the first center of Buddhist learning in Myanmar, is
located in the heart of the dry zone, with one of the lowest
annual rainfalls in Myanmar. Acacia trees break the barren
landscape, and, according to an forestry ministry official, more
of this species will be planted in June when the rains are
expected to water the dry soil. The roots of the acacia tree are
known to enrich the soil.

Heat

The heat makes a hat or a parasol indispensable. Situated
across the arid flood plain of the Irrawaddy river, Bagan was the
capital of Myanmar for 230 years, between the 11th and the 13th
centuries. In the history of Myanmar, Bagan is mentioned as the
cradle of religious reformation.

Anawratha, the first king who seized the throne in 1044 to
rule 19 villages on the Bagan plain, converted to Theravada
Buddhism twelve years later. Under his reign the construction of
pagodas became part of a grandiose scheme which continued under
the reign of his successors. With 2,217 pagodas still standing,
and another 2,000 ruins strewn over the plain, Bagan is
considered one of the most remarkable archaeological sites in
Southeast Asia. Experts put it on par with Cambodia's Angkor Wat
and Central Java's Borobudur temple.

Most of the wooden houses and palaces have rotted, but the
temples and pagodas, as well as the numerous brick ruins, remain
as evidence of Myanmar's golden age in architecture.

I got a licensed one for 1,000 kyats a day, the equivalent of
about Rp 200,000 (US$85). My friend, a photographer, the guide
and I squeezed into a horse cart, and started off down a dusty
track into this historical environment exclusively created for
archeologists and tourists.

Place

A small settlement inside the old city walls, was forcibly
resettled in 1990 when UNESCO suggested the royal palace be
excavated. The Myanmar government gave the 7,000 villagers one
week to relocate to New Pagan, some 5 kilometers south of Bagan.

The guide took us to the Shwezigon Pagoda, the Kyansittha Cave
monastery, the Gubyaukkyi Temple and the glorious Ananda Temple.
I was impressed by the variety of architectural styles, the
golden stupas glittering in the setting sun, the dim, cool caves
where monks retreated from the heat to meditate, the diverse
Indian and Chinese influenced Buddhas, and the syncretism that
allowed animistic beliefs to be incorporated in Buddhist
teachings.

Although the Mon-style Shwezigon Pagoda is usually mentioned
as the biggest and most important temple, being the main
objective of many Burmese pilgrims, I was more attracted to the
Ananda Temple. Gleaming white, it rises from the red brick
remains, its golden upper span faintly reminiscent of a modern
rocket. Ananda's dim mystical interior places the temple in the
early period. Completed in 1090, the temple's plan form the Greek
cross.

Derived from the "Infinite Wisdom" of Buddha, anandapyinna in
Burmese, the Ananda temple's most striking feature is a colossal
bronze Buddha Gotama. Contrasted with Mon-style figures, this
Buddha has sharp features and might be from the tantra. If
studied from closely, the Buddha's features and lips are almost
cruel. According to our guide, such stern expression was meant
for the royalty who would sit in the first rows. Viewed a little
further back, behind the nobility, the Buddhas expression becomes
milder. The expression becomes totally benevolent when seen from
a distance, the place of the common people.

The real Bagan is found just outside the tourist area. Two-
wheeled ox carts carrying water from the river to the village is
a normal morning sight. Villagers depend on the river for
cooking, drinking water and washing. Bathing and other pressing
needs are also conveniently done in the river. About half-an-hour
by motorboat across the Ayarawaddy River is a brick-making area,
where men hack clay from a nearby spot. Women then mold it by
hand and then place the heavy bricks to bake in the sun. A hard
life, in the eyes of a tourist.

On the island of Sele, a tiny green strip against the barren
hills, eggplant, lentils and other crops are grown to provide an
income for the people across the river. Groups of 10 men labor
under the sun with simple sticks to beat the beans loose from
their stalks, while the women clean the produce. One farmer said
that a group can produce five baskets, about 80 kg, a day. The
villagers also get their cattle fodder from the island, using the
same boat we used to get the load to the riverbank.

Hard as life may appear to a tourist, the villagers do not
seem to care. Life seems to continue in a rhythm they have set
for themselves. At midday, everybody goes home, and only return
if needed in the late afternoon.

People like our cart driver, who is acquainted with modern
life through the tourists he drives, are motivated to pursue a
better quality of life.

"I intend to be the best guide in this area," he said.

Unable to pay for a licensed guide course, he reads and
studies English by himself. His intelligence and talent will get
him there, but it will take him much longer than those who can
afford the tour guide course.

-- Cebe Tadjoedin