Yangon

Shwedagon Pagoda

Then King Banya U (AD 1353-1385) and his descendents reconstructed and enlarged it and raised it still higher. Queen Shin Saw Pu, the grand daughter of Banya U, had the pagoda enlarged and raised. She was the first Queen who donated and gilded the pagoda with gold equal to her weight. Her heir and son-in-law King Dhammazedi also continued to donate gold equal to his weight and that of his queen. He cast a huge bell 8 cubits in width at the mouth and 12 cubits in height. It was placed in a hall at the southern entrance of the pagoda.This huge bell was stolen by Filipe de Brittoe Nicote, a Portuguese merchant who later conquered Thanlyin.

He intended to melt it down and cast it into cannons. He was unable to achieve his plan, as the bell was lost in the Yangon River . Later Myanmar artisans claimed the bell and placed at the Shwedagon. Numerous Myanmar kings also made major developments to the pagoda and the surrounds, installing new Htis (Glorious Crown), gilding the pagoda and building rest houses and prayer halls.

Maha Wi Zaya Pagoda

This was built in 1980 as a replica of Shwezigon Pagoda at Nyaung Oo (Bagan). It is near the Shwedagon Pagoda, and the site is on the hillock where Queen Shin Saw Pu used to meditate and recite prayers whenever she visited Shwedagon. It contains relics of Buddha donated by the king of Nepal while visiting Myanmar . The construction design is mixed with modern and classic. There is a picture on the ceiling showing the positions of the constellation at the beginning of construction.


Sacred Tooth Relic Pagoda

While the Sixth Buddhist Synod was convening in Yangon in 1955, the People's Republic of China sent a good will mission of religious delegates along with a Genuine Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. This Sacred Tooth is sheltered in the Kwang Yi Su Temple in Beijing . It was sheltered in Maha Pasana Cave for respect and devotional admiration of the monks, laity and the venerable abbots of Buddhist countries who were attending the Synod.

In April of 1994, the Chinese religious delegates visited and presented two replicas of the Sacred Tooth for religious devotion and worship in Myanmar . The Dhama Pala hillock in Mayangon Township , Yangon (just a few hundred yards from Kaba Aye Pagoda) and the Shar Taw village in Amarapura Township , Mandalay Division were chosen and two Pagodas were constructed enshrining the Tooth Relics. These pagodas are reproduction of the Ananda at Bagan.


Lawka Chantha Abhaya Labha Muni Image


The famous stone sculptor of Mandalay , U Taw Taw, found a significantly large marble rock measuring 37.8 feet x 24 feet x 11 feet and weighing 500 ton. The marble, flawless and of high quality, was found in Zakyin village, Mattaya Township , 21 miles north of Mandalay .


U Taw Taw requested permission from the leaders of State to carve this marble rock into a grand Buddha image. The Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Senior General Than Shwe gave guidance and granted permission for it to be conveyed to Yangon for public obeisance as a Buddha Image accord with religious tradition. The image was conveyed along the Ayeyarwaddy River in July 2000 on a 'Yadana Shwephaungdaw' (a huge raft decorated with jewels and gold) and taken to Mindama Hill, Yangon on August 2000.


Ah Lane Nga Sint

The name means a five-storey tower on the precincts of the pagoda. It indicates the five stages of the non-physical worlds.


Mai Lamu Pagoda

The interesting feature of this pagoda is a number of huge Buddha images and legendary figures such as spirits and mythical creatures associated with the Okkalapa city of that era. The pagoda was named after Mai Lamu, the mother of King Okkalapa, who originally founded Shwe Dagon.



Bo Ta Thaung Pagoda

Located on the Yangon River bank, the Bo Ta Thaung has for centuries been a navigator's landmark just as the Bu Paya was in ancient Bagan. Bo means a military officer and Ta Thaung means a thousand military personnel or vanguards, which were said to have constituted a guard of honour when the Buddhas' relics were personally received by King Okkalapa from India .

The pagoda was hit by an allied forces bomb in November 1943, and was rebuilt from public contributions in 1953. The removal of the debris afforded authentication of the origin of this pagoda because the excavations revealed a relic chamber and a stone casket inside it, shaped like a pagoda, and quite a variety of treasures such as precious stones, ornaments, engraved terra-cotta plaques, gold, silver, and brass and stone images. As many as 700 images were found.

One terra cotta plaque is of great historical significance because one side bears the image of Lord Buddha and other a Pali inscription in the evolved Brahmin script of South India . The script had been adopted by the Mon.

The new pagoda, built of reinforced concrete, closely follows the destroyed original and its height is 131 feet 8 inches. It retains the ancient motif and hollow inside so that people can enter.

Another unique feature is the showcases that have been worked into the walls all round to house the many relics that were unearthed during the excavation. In the centre, the exact spot of the old reliquary, is a well-like hollow which will be the depository of the sacred relics.

Maha Pasana Guha

Maha Pasana Guha or the great cave was created simultaneously with the Kaba Aye Pagoda in 1952. It is a replica of the Satta Panni cave where the First Buddhist Synod was convened over 2500 years ago in Rajagah now known as Rajgir in Bihar of India. The Maha Pasana Cave has six huge concrete pillars and six entrances to mark the Sixth Great Synod.

It is 455 feet in length and 370 feet in breadth. The assembly hall inside is 220 feet in length and 140 feet in width. About 2,500 members of Sanga and 7,500 laities can be seated in raised seating in the Maha Pasana Cave . The Congregation of the Sixth Buddhist Synod met here in 1954, and this is also known to be one of the mid-twentieth century historical land marks of Buddhist religion.


Kaba Aye Pagoda

Kaba Aye, meaning World Peace, was built to commemorate the Sixth Buddha Synod in 1954, held in Maha Pasana Guha (Cave) within the same compound.

The pagoda is 34 meters in height and 34 meters in circumference at the base. The pagoda has five entrances and hall space containing five Buddha images. There is also an image of the last Buddha (Gautama) made out of pure silver weighing 500 kilograms. Relics of the Buddha and two of His Chief disciples are also enshrined in the pagoda. There are concrete buildings for the accommodation of the reverend monks of Buddhist countries and learned monks of Myanmar well versed in the Buddhist. The scriptures are now used for monks studying higher-level religious instructions.


Nga Htat Kyi Pagoda

Nga Htat Kyi Pagoda is a sitting image of Buddha located in the Ashay Tawya Kyaung Tank.


Chauk Htat Kyi Pagoda

This pagoda with its reclining image of Buddha is on Shwegonedaing Road , opposite the Nga Htat Kyi Pagoda.


Koe Htat Kyi Pagoda

It has a 65 foot high sitting image enshrining relics of the Buddha, and is located in Sanchaung. There is also a reliquary inside the image of the Buddha.




Planetarium

The Planetarium displays are housed in a new building which was constructed in 1986 to aid the study of the solar system, astronomy and the weather.

Programs are displayed at the Planetarium in collaboration with astrological experts. Complex machinery used at the Planetarium is maintained with the co-operation of Japanese experts and Myanmar engineers.

The Planetarium is on Ahlone Road, Dagon Township, Yangon.





National Museum

The 5-storey National Museum was opened on September 18, 1996 to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the State Law and Order Restoration Council at a cost of 400 million kyats.

Displays includes showrooms featuring the Thihathana Throne, the Yadanabon Period, epigraphy and calligraphy, the Myanmar prehistoric period, natural history, royal regalia, Myanmar history, Myanmar performing arts, Myanmar traditional folk art, Myanmar ancient ornaments, national races culture, and Buddha images. The museum also features two art galleries showing Myanmar work.

The National Museum is located on Pyay Road, Dagon Township, Yangon. It is opened daily.



Defence Services Museum

The purpose of this new three storey museum is to preserve military equipment and artifacts from the period of the Myanmar kings through to the contemporary period. The Museum has 52 showrooms displaying ancient and modern martial arts, weapons, uniforms, emblems, and historical pictures.

The Museum is on Shwedagon Pagoda Road in Dagon Township, Yangon.



Myanmar Gems Museum

This Museum highlights the history of one of Myanmar's most important natural resources, gems. Myanmar gems are among the world's best, and many exciting and fascinating items are exhibited here in over 100 countries. The Museum is on Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Mayangon Township, Yangon.


Drugs Elimination Museum

This museum was opened on June 26, 2001 to commemorate the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. The Museum documents the nation's fight against the scourge of drugs. Displays document the introduction of opium by colonial powers, and many other facts and artifacts.

The Museum is on the corner of Kyundaw Road and Hanthawaddy Road, Kamayut Township, Yangon.



National Theatre of Yangon

During a good will State Visit by the People's Republic of China to Myanmar in 1985, the Chinese President Mr. Lee Shan offered to build a modern theatre as a gift in commemoration of the good-will between the two countries.

The Government of Union of Myanmar accepted the offer, and plans were drawn to construct the building in cooperation with Chinese engineers and Myanmar technicians and workers.

Construction began on June 3, 1987, and was completed on December 27 1990 at a total cost of 150 million kyats. The theatre was officially opened on January 31, 1991. New seats have just been added.

The theatre is used for cultural exchange programs with foreign countries, for departmental workshops, religious ceremonies, prize giving ceremonies, performing arts competitions, and for musical stage shows.



Nat Shin Naung Memorable Tomb

Nat Shin Naung, who was only nine, marched and conquered Yodayar (Thailand) with his father King Nanda of Hantharwaddy in AD 1587. Nat Shin Naung cracked down Sawbwa of Moe Kaung who revolt against King of Hantharwaddy in1590. After the two successes of high caliber in battles he was awarded for his gallantry. In 1592, the fourth march to Yodaya was made with the loss of Crown Prince Mingyi Swa in the battle field, but Nat Shin Naung had got the opportunity to show his bravery at the age of 14. However, the romance of Nat Shin Naung and Yaza Datu Kalayar, the bereaved wife of Crown Prince, was one of the strangest love stories in the history of Myanmar literature. Nat Shin Naung was 18 years younger than Yaza Datu Kalayar who happened to be his uncle's wife.

Nat Shin Naung wrote a lot poems, forlorn verse and Ratus describing his of passionate love for Datu Kalayar as well as travelogues comprised of the nature of that period while on his missions through out the of his father's empire. He became Crown Prince at Taungoo in 1603 AD and acceded to throne in 1607 AD. After 11 years of court-ship he married to Datu Kalayar at the age of 25, but Datu Kalayar died 7 months after the marriage. With criminal twist of mind Nat Shin Naung made friends with Phillipe De Britto (Nga Zingar) chief of Thanlyn to take revenge against Innwa King who conquered Taungoo. But De Britto wittily attacked Taungoo and took Nat Shin Naung as prisoner of war to Than Lyn and compelled to be Roman Catholic. In the same year Maha Dhamma Rajar of Inwas attacked Thanlyn; and captured De Britto and Nat Shin Naung. Both of them were crucified and executed in Thanlyn.


Yangon Zoological Garden

Located in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, Yangon Zoological Garden is almost 100 years old now as it was established in 1906, the earliest of its kind in Myanmar. With the coverage area of 69.25 acres, it is situated in close proximity to the magnificent Shwedagon Pagoda, Kandawgyi Lake, Aquarium, Karaweik Palace and Yangon Railway Station. The Zoological Garden was established with the intention of providing relaxation to the public, helping provide extracurricular studies to students and general knowledge to enthusiasts in the fields of Zoology and Botany, educating and persuading the general public in the protection of wildlife, and propagating and conducting research on the perpetuation of rare species of wild animals and birds.

There are about 300 tree species, totaling over 15,000 trees, planted in the Garden. Among them are such species as Thawkagyi, Linlun, Padiphyu, Meze, Karamek, Sagawa, Layhnyin, Zardeikpho, etc. Moreover, there exist 59 species of mammals, 60 species of birds, 18 species of reptiles, amounting to over 1,300 species. In addition, wild animals such as elephant, rhinoceros, tapir, hippopotamus, camel, tiger, lion, deer, various species of monkey, snake, tortoise, crocodile, various species of bird, a pair of tusks of the white elephant that died in 1219 - 1857 during the reign of King Thibaw, 72 feet long skeleton of a whale 72 feet in length, and a statue of Stegosaurus are also on display.

When you come to Yangon, you should not miss the opportunity for one-stop observation of the collection of wild animals, birds, reptiles, indigenous to Myanmar, that would only be possible at Yangon Zoological Garden. Some of the opportunities for study and recreation include rides in elephant-cart, horse-cart, or on elephants and horses, free snake and elephant shows on weekends and public holidays, and an easy access to fauna and flora either for studies or for enjoyment.



Hlawga Park

This park was founded in 1982 at Mingaladon Township in Yangon Division, just 22 miles from downtown Yangon. Tigers, leopards, bears and other carnivorous animals are housed in the 62 acre park and in the mini zoo. Sambhur deer, barking deer, and hog deer freely graze in the 818 acres of natural forest. Attractions include elephant rides and shows, and 165 species of birds and plus 25 species of migratory birds also inhabit the park. Facilities include an environmental education centre, an information centre, a guide map, ample car parking, open decks and scenic picnic sites.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

The Great Mingun Bell


mingunbell.jpg (30549 bytes)

That title is owned by Burma's Mingun Bell, which rings near the city of Sagaing, at the Mingun pagoda, some 11 km (7 miles) upriver from Mandalay, in the center of Burma, on the opposite bank of the Ayeyarwaddy and accessible only by river. A 45-minute boat trip to Mingun is very pleasant with plenty of life on the river to see.

This bell was cast by King Bodawpaya on 28 April 1808 and is about 13 feet tall. It weighs 55555 peik-thar, or 90.55 metric tons (about 200 US tons). (Peik-thar are a traditional unit of weight equalling 3.6 lbs (1.63 kg)— that's what the five characters that look like 9's on the side of the bell in the picture to the right mean.)

The pagoda itself was the main jewel in the crown of an ambitious building campaign sponsored by King Bodawpaya (ruled 1782-1819). The largest brick temple in Asia, its outline broods over the western bank of the Irrawaddy River from the hamlet of Mingun. Its base is 256 feet square and it rises some 150 feet. It is now viewed as little more than a curiosity, enhanced by dramatic fissures in its wall created by an earthquake in 1839-- visitors can even climb to the top by a modern stairway mounted on the most ruined corner fo the monument, though no access to the summit existed originally.

The Mingun is Asia's, and indeed, the world's, largest bell. Cast by Bodawpaya to complemlent the huge pagoda, it stands in its original location some 50 yeards to the northeast of the pagoda. The pagoda is still considered unfinished, since it is without a tower, but historians believe King Bodawpaya may have intended to sacrifice height for girth from the very beginning, and thus it may have been considered finished by the king himself. Pagodas were built to venerate sacred objects interred beneath them-- in fact, the word "pagoda" derives from *dagaba* (relic chamber), a term adopted into English after it was encountered in Buddhist Sri Lanka.


The World’s Three Largest Bells

Russia's famous Tsar-Kolokol is the largest bell in the world, of course, but it is broken. Apart from that, if you inspect our list of bells larger than 1,000 puds (36,000 lbs, or about 18 metric tons or more), you'll probably be surprised to see that the world's biggest working bells are not in Russia, but in Burma, Korea, and Japan. Another is under water, but there has lately been some talk of trying to locate and raise it. Yet another was lost in World War II. Only then, sixth or seventh down the list, do we find Trinity-Sergius Lavra's "Tsarsky Kolokol", or "Royal Bell".

One day we hope to tell more about Asia's fascinating bells, but it's interesting to compare what we've been able to learn so far, with the Russian giant:

Dhammazedi Bell, largest bell on the planet Mingun Bell, the largest ringing bell in the world   Tsar Bell-III, the third-largest bell on earth


The Great Sunken Bell of Dhammazedi

Burmese chronicles relate that King Dhammazedi, 9th of the Mon kings of Burma (now known as Myanmar), who reigned at Hanthawaddy (Bago) from 1464 onward, had ordered a census of households in his kingdom sometime around the year 1480. However, his over-zealous ministers not only counted the households; they also taxed them— thus obtaining some 180,000 vis (293.4 metric, or about 600 US tons) of copper. King Dhammazedi was not pleased and so, to allay his wrath, the ministers proposed to have the copper cast into a bell. That was how the biggest bell in history came to be. The chronicles also note that the date chosen for the casting of the Bell, 5 February 1484, was astrologically inappropriate and that the Bell had an unpleasant sound.


He presented the bell to the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon (then known as Dagon). According to texts of the time, the bell metal included silver and gold as well as copper and tin. The bell is also said to have been encrusted with emeralds and sapphires. In view of the opulence of the pagoda itself, the story is likely true. The bell itself was said to be twelve cubits high and eight cubits wide. Another, smaller bell of 500 vis (about 5/6 of a ton) was cast at the same time and also offered to the Buddha.

A century later, in 1583, Venetian gem merchant named Gasparo Balbi visited ancient Dagon and described the Shwedagon Pagoda at length. He wrote, "I found in a fair hall a very large bell which we measured, and found to be seven paces and three hand breadths and it is full of letters from the top to the bottom, so near together that one touches the other, but there was no Nation that could understand them."

By 1530 the Mon kings were in decline and in 1535 Lower Burma had become subject to Upper Burma. At the same time, European traders and adventurers had begun to make contacts in Lower Burma. So in the 1590s, with the authority of the rulers in Upper Burma, a Portuguese adventurer, Filipe de Brito y Nicote, set up a new trading post at Syriam and by 1600 had extended his power across the river to Dagon and the surrounding countryside.

Thus in 1608 De Brito removed the Dhammazedi bell from the Shwedagon Paaoda, rolled it down the hill to a raft in the Pazundaung Creek and had it hauled by elephants to the river. The the bell and raft were lashed to his flagship for the journey across the river to Thanlyn (Syrian) to be melted down and made into ships cannons.

However, at the confluence of the Bago and Yangon Rivers off what is now known as Monkey Point, the raft broke up and the bell went to the bottom, taking Filipe de Brito's ship with it— justly, we think. The Portugeuse suffered for their bungled looting, too— their entire garrison was killed in an attack by angry Burmese, and records suggest the Portuguese leader died a slow death on bamboo stakes.

All accounts of the history of Rangoon insist that Dhammazedi's bell was never recovered and until the late 1800's the top of it could still be seen above water at low tide. Some witnesses today tell of being rowed out to the bell site by their elders to watch the water eddy over the top of the submerged bell. The river isn't especially deep, (40 feet), but at the bottom there is 40 feet more of mud. The bell is somewhere in the mud.

A smaller bell, known as the Bodawpaya, was also taken from the Shwedagon Pagoda by British Prize Agents in 1826 and lost in the river. However, it was abandoned by the British and recovered by the local inhabitants and returned to the pagoda.

There are other great bells on view on the Shwedagon, but they are much later than Balbi"s time.

King Singu, had a 24.6 metric (50 US)-ton bronze bell, 2.1 m high and 2.0 m wide at the mouth, cast and offered to the Shwedagon on 17 January 1779. Known as the Mahagandha Bell, it can be found today on the northwest side of the main pagoda platform. The British pillaged the pagoda during their 1824 to 1826 wartime occupation and tried to carry the bell to Calcutta, but fell victim to the same fate as de Brito: this bell, too, sank into the river.

The British failed in several attempts to raise it. The Myanmars said they would raise the bell on the condition it would be returned to its original resting place in the pagoda, and the British, thinking nothing would come out of the attempt, agreed. But the Myanmars had an ingenious plan. Divers tied countless bamboo poles underneath the bell and floated it to the surface. The undertaking helped to instill the Myanmars with nationalism during the years of British occupation.

The other bell, 42.5 metric (85 US) tons in weight, 4.3 m high and 2.2 m wide at the mouth, was cast and donated by King Tharrawaddy on 19 February 1843. It is known as the Mahatissada and is located at the northeast corner of the pagoda enclosure.


Dhammazedi's Bell To Be Recovered?

Mike Hatcher

The Burmese government has asked an English marine biologist / archaeologist / adventurer (you know the type) named Mike Hatcher and his team to raise the bell; they want to see it restored to the Pagoda. Hatcher has agreed to undertake the project, which has involvement from Japanese, Australian and American companies. Richard Gere, a committed and active supporter of Buddhist ideals, is involved in raising funds. The project would undoubtedly inspire curiosity at an international level. The German film company which will be shooting the expedition says, "Should the salvage operation succeed, the reaction in the Buddhist world would be comparable to finding the Holy Grail in the Christian West."

One of Burma's most sacred religious relics, it is believed that its restoration in the pagoda will bring good fortune back to Myanmar. Certainly, recovery of King Dhammazedi"s Bell— the offering of a devout king and his people to one of Myanmar"s most sacred shrines— would restore a lost heritage to the Myanmar people. In more ways than one, in fact´ for the bell"s inscription would provide valuable material for historical and linguistic scholarship.

The project is not without its opponents: Some pro-democracy campaigners say the salvage operation might be misconstrued as an endorsement by the international community of Myanmar's military dictatorship, and should wait until talks with the regime have progressed or until such time as a democratic government is in place.

One of seven salvage projects forecast for Mike Hatcher and his team in 2001, Mike's team was slated to begin the search for the precise location of the Dhammazedi Bell in March that year. After a flurry of excitement stirred up by BBC's announcement of the project, however, it apparently did not get off the ground, perhaps (we speculate) due to complications involved in his discovery in June 2000 of a huge sunken wreck in Indonesian waters, with the largest collection of porcelain ever found.

If the project ever does go forward, divers will use personal mounted sonar with night vision goggles and copper sulphate detectors to locate the bell, since the mud around all that bronze would have a high concentration of copper sulphate. About nine months after the survey they expect to lift the Bell from the river. To do this, they will have to build a small version of a North Sea Oil platform in the muddy rapids of the confluence of two rivers, and assemble a large crane to lift the bell out of the water. Once it is lifted, they will construct a railway to transport it uphill about half a mile to the Shwedagon Pagoda. This final operation will take about four months.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Myanmar White Elephants


© Amazing Pictures, Bollywood, Hollywood, Places, Technology, Funny Pictures, Health Beauty (http://ritemail.blogspot.com/2010/11/white-elephants.html)


Rare albino Elephants.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Bio of Myanmar

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Harry Potter & Burma Snake

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

SHIN BYU


Shin Byu
A Shin Byu procession is in central Burma. An ethnic Burmese boy, like all Buddhists in Burma, is not considered a good Buddhist until he has gone through this initiation rite, which involves him dressing up as the Prince Siddhartha Guatama (who became the Buddha) and riding to the monastery, where his head is shaved, he takes on the robes of a monk and he lives in the monastery to receive instructions.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

THE NAGA





The Naga
The name Naga embraces a number of Indo-Mongoloid tribes who speak a distant Tibeto-Burmese language and live in the mountain regions of the India-Burma border. Around one million Nagas live in India, although some 100,000 inhabit the Patkai range in northern Burma. Traditionally fierce warriors and, until recently, head-hunters, the Nagas have defended their land against incursions by Indian and Burmese government troops.




Unlike the Was, who took human skulls to safeguard their society and crops, the Nagas killed for personal glory and for the glory of their villages. The practice of head-hunting is believed to have died out in the past twenty years. Although Nagas would not buy skulls like the Was sometimes did, slaves were bought to be decapitated for their skulls and their heads were hung in baskets high in bamboo groves with arrows driven through the eye sockets, to ensure that the ghost would protect the village.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

THE CHIN


The Chin, or Zomi, are a Tibeto - Burmese people who inhabit the great mountain chain running up western Burma into Mizoram in north-east India. In previous centuries, the difficult terrain meant that there was a little communication between villages.
More than forty sub-groups, many distinguished by their unique facial tattoos and costumes, have been identified among the 1.5 million Chins in Burma. According to folklore, the custom of tattooing originated almost a thousand years ago, after Burmese men found the Chin women so attractive that they would capture them in slave raids. In their fear, the women began to tattoo their faces – both to make themselves look unattractive, and to ensure that Chin men would be able to identify them if they were carried off.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

BURMESE PUPPET



Burmese marionette theatre – or yok-thei pwe – was developed during the reign of King Bagydaw in the early nineteenth century and was the forerunner of live theatre. There are still a few master puppeteers in Burma, but the skill is dying out and efforts have been made to train youngsters in the art.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

THE PADAUNG


The Padaung
The Padaung are found in a 150-square-mile area of Kayah State and Shan State, west of the Salween river and around the Pekon hills, which rise to 5,000 feet. For centuries they have been objects of curiosity and were once brought to the palace of the King of Mandalay for inspection. They are part of the Kayan subgroup of Karens. Although known in the world as Padaung, they call themselves Ka-Kaung, which means people who live on top of the hill.


The Padaungs are often nicknamed ‘giraffe women’ or the ‘long-necked Karens’ because of the custom of encasing the neck in brass coils. The practice is fast disappearing, and today can only be found in a few villages. When a girl is aged between five and nine, her neck is rubbed with ointment said to be made of dog fat, coconut milk and royal jelly, and the first neck ring is fitted. After two years, the next set of coils is added and every year therefore she gains a new set until she marries.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

LAKE INLE



Intha people can be found living on or around Lake Inle in Shan State. Speaking a distinctive and unusual Burmese dialect, there is mystery over their origins in this area. Like the Pa-Os and Taungyos, it is thought that they are arrived from Lower Burma many centuries ago. By one account, they are descendants of southern Burmese who migrated north during the reign of the King Narapatisithu (1174-1210), although some scholars believe they stem from slaves taken captive during on-and-off wars with the Mons and Tavoyans.
The Intha are famous for their highly individual rowing technique. Fisherman wrap a paddle around one hand and leg and use this to propel the boat, while balancing precariously on the other. This position leaves them with one hand free, allowing them to drop a large conical new over passing fish in the shallow waters of the lake.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Followers