Published On:Saturday, 4 October 2014
Posted by Celebrate Life Style information Blog
Five days in Yangon
The capital of Myanmar is an amazing mix of Buddhist pagodas, heritage museums, shopping malls, great beaches and friendly people, says amrita dey
IF you’re done with Thailand and Singapore and looking for a closer Asian destination, there are a couple of good reasons to visit Myanmar, a country famed for its “golden pagodas”, resplendent lakes, heritage sites, simple, straightforward people and presently well on track to a full-fledged “democratic transition” since 2010. It was recently presented the award of World’s Best Tourist destination by the European Union Council on Tourism and Trade and in 2013 it attracted over two million tourists. The numbers seem to be climbing this year as well.
On Day One, start with the , in the heart of Yangon (the old capital of Myanmar), one of the lofty and exquisite religious sites of the city. The Shwedagon, structurally like the Jaganath temple of Puri in India, is flanked by four entrances — North, South, East and West. The saying goes that two brothers, Tophussa and Bhalika, travelling from India, requested a token of remembrance from the Buddha to please the nat (spirit) of their dead mother. The Buddha in return gave them eight hairs and told them to enshrine it on Singuttara Hill. As the brothers neared Okkala (Yangon), they faced many misadventures but with the help of the Lord of Nats and King Okkalapa enshrined his hairs with the relics of three Buddhas before him — the water filter of Kawaganama Buddha, the Kassapa Buddha, the Konagamana, and Gautama Buddha in a ceti 66 feet high, which they consecrated as the Shwedagon (one can aptly call it the thirtha stan — auspicious place of worship — of Buddhism).
From 600 BC to the 14th century, this pagoda was maintained by 32 kings of the Okkalapa dynasty and since 1372 AD by King Banya U, Banyayan, Banyagyandaw and others. In 1453 AD, Queen Shin Saw Pu ascended the throne and raised it to a height of 302 feet. Presently, Shwedagon is 43 feet high with 500 tons of gold, 83,850 items of jewellery and small gold bells.
Once “in”, there are a myriad images and adoration halls dedicated to the Buddha. There’s the image of the reclining Buddha, the large Buddha with open eyes and other images, mostly donated by devotees (some of them from the government) along with other offerings like flowers, coconuts, umbrellas and bananas. Apart from weekdays, on weekends people are found thronging the wide marble expanse of the pagoda, some meditating and praying, some busy appeasing their planetary shrine with lustral water. A devotee, if he/she can appease his/her planetary and weekday shrine, can remove obstacles and bring success to their lives. [ The Stateman ]
IF you’re done with Thailand and Singapore and looking for a closer Asian destination, there are a couple of good reasons to visit Myanmar, a country famed for its “golden pagodas”, resplendent lakes, heritage sites, simple, straightforward people and presently well on track to a full-fledged “democratic transition” since 2010. It was recently presented the award of World’s Best Tourist destination by the European Union Council on Tourism and Trade and in 2013 it attracted over two million tourists. The numbers seem to be climbing this year as well.
On Day One, start with the , in the heart of Yangon (the old capital of Myanmar), one of the lofty and exquisite religious sites of the city. The Shwedagon, structurally like the Jaganath temple of Puri in India, is flanked by four entrances — North, South, East and West. The saying goes that two brothers, Tophussa and Bhalika, travelling from India, requested a token of remembrance from the Buddha to please the nat (spirit) of their dead mother. The Buddha in return gave them eight hairs and told them to enshrine it on Singuttara Hill. As the brothers neared Okkala (Yangon), they faced many misadventures but with the help of the Lord of Nats and King Okkalapa enshrined his hairs with the relics of three Buddhas before him — the water filter of Kawaganama Buddha, the Kassapa Buddha, the Konagamana, and Gautama Buddha in a ceti 66 feet high, which they consecrated as the Shwedagon (one can aptly call it the thirtha stan — auspicious place of worship — of Buddhism).
From 600 BC to the 14th century, this pagoda was maintained by 32 kings of the Okkalapa dynasty and since 1372 AD by King Banya U, Banyayan, Banyagyandaw and others. In 1453 AD, Queen Shin Saw Pu ascended the throne and raised it to a height of 302 feet. Presently, Shwedagon is 43 feet high with 500 tons of gold, 83,850 items of jewellery and small gold bells.
Once “in”, there are a myriad images and adoration halls dedicated to the Buddha. There’s the image of the reclining Buddha, the large Buddha with open eyes and other images, mostly donated by devotees (some of them from the government) along with other offerings like flowers, coconuts, umbrellas and bananas. Apart from weekdays, on weekends people are found thronging the wide marble expanse of the pagoda, some meditating and praying, some busy appeasing their planetary shrine with lustral water. A devotee, if he/she can appease his/her planetary and weekday shrine, can remove obstacles and bring success to their lives. [ The Stateman ]
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