INGALABA! elcome to the second edition of My Magical Myanmar, your guide to discovering one of the world’s top emerging travel destinations. To be published every four months, My Magical Myanmar has been launched to meet the huge demand for up-to-date information on the latest developments in the rapidly expanding tourism and hotels sector. My Magical Myanmar offers feature stories about popular and out-of-the way destinations, a comprehensive guide to hotels, restaurants, nightlife, shopping centres and markets and a wealth of information about Myanmar’s history and culture as well as its breath-taking natural attractions. My Magical Myanmar - your indispensible travel companion - is on sale at airports, bookshops, and selected hotels, restaurants and supermarkets.
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Welcome to Myanmar ! Yamin Htin Aung Publisher
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SNAPSHOTS
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HISTORY
CO N T E N TS 24
THE PEOPLE, RELIGION CUSTOMS, CEREMONIES AND FESTIVALS A GUIDE TO MYANMAR ETIQUETTE
INDEPTH REPORT
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BUSINESS IS ‘BOOMING’ BUT CHALLENGES LINGER, SAYS TOURISM INDUSTRY EXPERT
REGULARS
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TRAVEL SECTOR UPDATE WHAT’S COMING UP
SPECIAL FEATURES
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CHAUKHTUTGYI RECLINING BUDDHA IMAGE
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www.mymagicalmyanmar.com
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Cover image Pix: Maximillian Horsley
Publisher Yamin Htin Aung
Editor
SITES & SIGHTS
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ARTS
SUGGESTED DESTINATIONS: STEPPING BACK INTIME IN MAWLAMYINE GETAWAY ADVENTURES DESTINATIONS: AN OFFROAD CYCLINE ADVENTURE IN NORTHERN SHANSTATE ECOTOURISM: MOEYINGYI WETLAND WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
COVER STORY THANAKA: MYANMAR’S FRAGRANT, VERSATILE COSMETIC
A TASTE OF MYANMAR DINING IN MYANMAR: A GOLDEN TIME AT SHWE SA BWE
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NIGHTLIFE & ENTERTAINMENT
SENSATIONAL SHOPPING
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GEAR & GADGETS
USEFUL INFORMATION
BARS: PUMP UP THE VOLUME YANGON’S NIGHTLIFE KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL: EATING MYANMAR STYLE
LISTINGS
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Geoffrey Goddard
Contributing writers Ma Thanegi, Douglas Long, Stuart Deed, Jessica Mudditt, Phyo, Manny Maung, Rahul, Lyndal Pearce, Gabrielle Paluch, Rupert-Angus Mann
Contributing photographers Douglas Long, Bagan Min Min Oo Aung Photography, Phoenyan, Min Zayar Oo, Maximillian Horsley, Mike Wright, Phillip De Burma, Michael Hmrah, Tharlyan, Tiger Air, Oriental Ballooning, Silk Air, Yoma Strategic Holdings Limited, Keppel Land, Shangri-La residence, Accor, MAI,
Graphic & Layout Design Aung Thu Ngwe, Min Zaw Oo, Soe Moe Thu
Published & Distributed by Logistics Media Sercvices Co., Ltd. Yangon No.2,Rm :9 (D-E), Zagawar Condo, Moekaung Road, Yankin Township, Yangon, Myanmar. T 01-554 776, 559 768 F 01-559 768 Mandalay K-10, 60th Street, 30th x 32nd Street, Yandanar Taing Pyi Housing, Chan Aye Thar San Tsp, Mandalay, Myanmar. T (952) 74460, (959) 91023733, 91024733, 2036302 mmmsales@logimedia.com.mm
Find us on www.mymagicalmyanmar.com www.facebook.com/mymagicalmyanmar www.twitter.com/mymagicalmyanmar My Magical Myanmar is a quarterly publication of Logistics Media Services Co.,Ltd. Copyright held by Logistics Media Services Co., Ltd, which also publishes The Red Book and Myanmar Hotels & Tourism Guide. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. © All Right Reserved.
MY MAGICAL MYANMAR | FEBRUARY | 2014
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History By Ma Thanegi
cholars believe that some of the people including the Burmese (or Bamar) the majority race, are of TibetoBurman stock whose ancestors migrated from the northeast and some of Mon-Khmer stock that came from the east. However, after the discovery of the fossilized jawbones of the Amphipithecus bahinensis in central Myanmar some historians believe that the people might could have evolved from the primate ancestors already living in the landmass that was to become the Union of Myanmar. From the 3rd century BC a flourishing civilisation was developed by a race called Pyu whose last great kingdom of Srikhetera was destroyed by invaders from the east in the 9th century AD. The survivors assimilated into the society of the Bagan Kingdom that rose to power in the 11th century many miles north of their ruined city. The rise of the Bagan civilisation saw the strengthening of Theravada Buddhism, initiated by King Anawrahta (r. 1044-1077) and maintained so well that it has become a strong part of the Myanmar people’s lives to this day. After Bagan was destroyed in 1287 during the reign of a weak king by the armies of Kublai Khan, various kingdoms rose under great monarchs all over the land: Mon, Rakhine, and Burmese kingdoms. Hanthawaddy was the capital of the Mon kingdom under the rule of the Mon king Binnya U (r. 1453-1385). Successive Mon monarchs including the great Queen Shin Saw Pu (r. 1453- 1472) and King Dhammazedi (r. 14721491)were instrumental in the glorification of the Shwedagon Pagoda; they raised the spire to its present height and were the first to cover it with sheets of beaten gold.
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The royal capital of Mrauk Oo on the western coast was founded in the year 1430 by the Rakhine king Min Sawmon (r. 1404 -1433) who left his throne at Laungyet for many years until he settled in Mrauk Oo. It was a beautiful city that dazzled foreign visitors who saw it in the 18th century. King Tabin Shwehti(r. 1531-1551) and his successor King Byint Naung (r. 1551-1581) founded a Burmese Empire in Lower Myanmar in the 16th century. In the 18th century it was Alaungpaya who founded the last dynasty of Burmese kings in Upper Myanmar until the country was colonised by the British in 1885, and the last king Thibaw was exiled. Myanmar’s independence was won in 1948 but Bogyoke Aung San, (father of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi) who had led the fight for freedom had been assassinated by a political rival in 1946. A short period of democracy plagued by insurgencies gave way to 26 years’ of socialism under General Ne Win. The poverty of Socialist mismanagement led to country-wide protests followed by 23 years of an open economy under military rule. Plans for a change to democracy were initialised in 2003 and in late 2010 elections were held. On 30 March 2011 the military handed over power to the present government led by President U Thein Sein who has since brought many changes although far more challenges remain after 50 years of two dictatorial governments.
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SNAPSHOTS
The People By Ma Thanegi
There are 134 national races in Myanmar by official count, with eight major races of Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Shan, Mon, Rakhine and Bamar (Burmese). The majority of the people are Theravada Buddhists at about 85%, with Christians at around 10%, Muslims and Hindus at around 4% each, and others, usually animists who revere deities in their own culture, 1%. The people of any religion are deeply rooted in their beliefs and culture, and they hold deep reverence towards their traditions.
Religion By Ma Thanegi
THERAVADA BUDDHISM Buddhism is not a religion, because religion is based on faith and prayer whereas in Buddhism practice, i.e the way of living is more important than faith or prayer. Buddhism is also not a philosophy because philosophy is about intellectual thought without practice. Buddhist practice is about using a combination of practice in the Buddha’s Way of good living, objective awareness of one’s weaknesses and intellectual thought to discard all that is negative in oneself. Morality is the basis of the Buddha’s teachings and the Eightfold Path also known as the Middle Way teaches adherents to avoid the three roots of evil Greed, Anger and Delusion and to live a moral life based on Dhana, Sila and Bawana. Dhana means charity, Sila means MY MAGICAL MYANMAR | FEBRUARY | 2014
Morality is the basis of the Buddha’s teachings and the Eightfold Path teaches adherents to avoid the three roots of evil: Greed, Anger and Delusion. purity and Bawana means Conscious Awareness which is achieved through mediation. THE EIGHTFOLD PATH 1. Right Understanding ofhaving insightful knowledge of the Dhamma. 2. Right Thought of having thoughts that are free from lust, ill will and cruelty and thoughts of loving kindness, compassion, non-hatred and objectivity for all living beings. 3. Right Speech of abstaining from speaking false words, slander, rude, harsh and abusive language and idle, frivolous gossip. 4. Right Action of conduct that is moral, honourable and not harmful to others. 5. Right Livelihood of avoiding a living that is harmful to others. 6. Right Effort in being diligent in the avoidance of evil by thought, word and deed.
7. Right Mindfulness in being consciously aware of all the activities of mind and body 8. Right Concentration of meditating to prevent violent emotions from arising. MEDITATION There are two different practices of Theravada Buddhist meditation. One is Vipasana, a system of Conscious Awareness to be keenly aware of one’s emotions such as anger, pain, hunt, jealousy, and greed at the very onset of their rising, and thus be able to control them; in a world where you cannot control Fate, at least you can control how you respond to it. The other meditation system is Thama Hta, practiced by those desiring to attain supernatural powers. Some practice this first and when they have improved their concentration powers, move onto Vipasana meditation.
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Customs, Ceremonies and Festivals By Ma Thanegi
Making Merit
The majority of the people of Myanmar, made up of different races, are Buddhists. The three main practices of a Buddhist should be Dahna, Sila and Bawana: Dhana meaning charity, Sila meaning purity of thought, word and deed and Bawana meaning meditating to achieve conscious awareness. All three in combination lead to Nirvana the End of Suffering of life cycles but charity without sincerity is worthless. However it is the easiest to practice and it has become a reflexive action in daily life.
Soon Kyway
Buddhist celebrations, apart from weddings and spirit festivals, are centred on breakfast or lunch called Soon Kyway offered to members of the Sangha, the Buddhist Order of monks and nuns. Afterwards the abbot or a senior monk will give a sermon
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Shin Pyu
Every Buddhist boy can enter the Order as a novice from the time he could clearly recite the verse of application to the time he is 19, when he is eligible to become a monk. His father, uncles or older brothers can become monks, all of them for a few days or as long as they wish. If it is a lavish affair with hundreds of guests, his sister most likely have their ears bored at the same time but without any involvement from the monks. www.mymagicalmyanmar.com
SNAPSHOTS
Monthly Official Holidays and Festivals
Full Moon days of each month coincide with a Buddhist event but only the most important are official holidays. Christmas, Ramadan, Depaveli and Karen New Year are also holidays. The Water Festival holiday preceding the Burmese New Year that falls on 17 April is the longest, with government offices closed for ten days from 12 to 21 April. In October and November there are Light Festivals, with the October festival celebrated with paying obeisance with gifts to older members of the family or workplace. In November, there are street fairs in the cities, villages and neighbourhoods setting off fire balloons and all-night weaving contests held on pagoda platforms to see which team finishes a monk’s robe by dawn.
Superstitions
Most of the Buddhists and many of the ethnic races who live in remote places still believe in the celestial beings that guard nature, as well as in spirits of animist worship. Most Buddhist families have horoscopes made of palm leaf marking planetary positions of the time of birth, so that when an astrologer is consulted he need not calculate that data but only on the present position of the planets. For a Buddhist person, the day in the week with its animal symbol is more important in marking his birth than the monthly zodiac sign. As suggested by the astrologer or palmist any bad fortune can be removed by a ritual called ‘Yadaya Chay’ so the person’s anxiety can be easily eased with this very effective placebo ritual. In general, consulting fortune-tellers replace the need for therapy. Suppositious belief often leads to animist worship of the 37 Lords and Ladies as the pantheon of Spirits is known. Also there are “protector” celestials, ascetics or ogres whose legends are often entwined with the history of famous pagodas as well as the “guardians” of villages or towns, mountains or jungles.
Obeisance Ceremony
For all religions in Myanmar, respecting older people is a tradition. The Buddhists hold annual obeisance ceremonies of kneeing and bowing in front of all the elderly in the neighbourhood, rich or poor, with gifts for each person. The obeisance ceremony with gifts is also held for mentors such as older writers and artists and for teachers from kindergarten upwards, for as long as the teachers are alive.
Weddings
The ritual of a traditional wedding is elaborate but no monks participate. There is no need for dowries although in many communities it is the groom who needs to pay the bride’s family. Marriage, for all the races, means a union not only of two people but of the extended families of each side. However for Buddhist apart from a wedding or a reception, the marriage is also commemorated by a Soon Kyway in the same way that births, birthdays, deaths, anniversaries of marriage or death, house warmings etc. are commemorated.
Thanakha
One custom shared by almost all the races is the use of Thanakha bark paste to smear, lightly or thickly as preferred, on the face and limbs as a cooling agent, sun screen and to clarify the skin. It has a fresh lingering fragrance that is most attractive.
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A guide to Myanmar etiquette
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By Ma Thanegi
guide to Myanmar etiquette 1
Remove your socks or stockings and shoes before you enter a Buddhist pagoda, monastery or nunnery. Some monasteries and nunneries allow shoes to be worn in their compounds but never inside the buildings.
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Remove your shoes when you visit Myanmar homes, but you may keep on your socks.
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When you are invited to a Myanmar home for a meal there is no need to bring a gift. Do not bring wine: unless your hosts are very Westernized they will neither drink wine nor have wine glasses. In a Myanmar home the women may not sit and eat the meal with you. They are not taking an inferior role to you; they are being good hostesses by making sure everyone is properly served. Becoming annoyed at this and insisting that they sit and eat with you implies that you think they are playing an inferior role, which is insulting. Myanmar meals are centered on steamed rice accompanied by a soup, curries, salads, stir-fries, fried fish, omelets, and blanched or raw vegetable with a relish. The soup is not drunk before the meal but supped throughout to clear the palate or dribbled on the rice. In some homes one big soup bowl is shared by everyone. If there is any dish you do not want to eat decline firmly but with a smile. There will be a fork and spoon to eat your meal, but no knives. There is no tradition in Myanmar of eating appetizers before a meal. Pickled tea leaf salad or fruit are eaten afterwards instead of a Western style dessert. However if you are at a restaurant you can eat as you wish, such as having appetizers first or soup as a first course. Myanmar people are extremely hospitable and even strangers will offer you food. Please decline with a smile if you do not want to accept.
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Women should not go bra-less, wear low slung jeans that reveal the lower back, skimpy tops or skirts that are above the knee when visiting religious sites, including pagodas, monasteries and nunneries, or attending official meetings. Even in non-religious public places it is better to adhere to the above code of dress.
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Women must not go topless at the beach or hotel swimming pools. Women should not wear swimsuits, especially two-piece ones, when visiting fishing villages near beaches to avoid offending the locals, who will think they are prostitutes.
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It is not a compliment to say that a Myanmar woman is “hot” or “sexy”. To do so is to imply she is involved in the sex trade and such a remark would be extremely insulting. Myanmar is a sexually conservative society and personal sex lives remain private.
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Make sure when sitting that the soles of your feet are not pointing towards a Buddha image, pagoda, monk, nun or elderly person. When sitting in the presence of a monk or Buddha image, tuck your legs under you. By tradition, only men sit with crossed legs in the presence of monks.
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Do not offer to shake hands with a monk, nun or a woman you do not know well.
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Women should never touch a monk or a monk’s robes. Men should never touch a nun or any Myanmar woman as to do so could result in being charged with having outraged a woman’s modesty.
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Do not speak or laugh loudly in a religious environment.
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Never hug or kiss a Myanmar person on the cheek in public as a greeting.
When you are a guest, do not dress too casually; you will notice that the locals tend to overdress, which is their way of honouring the host.
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SNAPSHOTS
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The traditional Thai greeting known as the ‘wai’, or holding up clasped hands as if in prayer, is not a Myanmar tradition although a few might return it out of politeness. In Myanmar this gesture is reserved for Buddha images, monks and elderly people. Just saying “Mingalabar “(Good Fortune) is enough…. “hello” works, too. Do not step over any part of anyone’s body and do not reach over or touch anyone’s head. If this happens accidentally, simply say “sorry, sorry..”.. twice, not just once, because saying it once sounds abrupt and insincere.
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When you give or accept anything do so with both hands or with the right hand, but there is no need to do this when paying the bill in a restaurant.
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Myanmar people show gratitude not by saying “thank you” but with a smile, a look or body language. If they do not say “thank you”, it does not mean they are ungrateful or rude.
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Myanmar people will not open presents in front of you nor will they show much delight with the present because to do so, according to Myanmar culture, would make them appear to be mercenary.
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Do not take photos of women while they are bathing in public because even to look at them while they are washing is extremely rude; the Myanmar people give each other privacy by pretending not to see and just because they are in public view does not mean they do not deserve privacy.
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Never sit on the lap of a Buddha images to have your photo taken. Do not sit on a higher level than a Buddha image, a monk or elderly person, whether male or female. Women should not sit or travel on the roof of a truck, bus or boat.
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If you are encouraged to drink or eat and you wish to refuse, say you are ill and the doctor told you not to eat or drink. A white lie saves face all around.
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If you trip and fall or make a mistake when you say something in Myanmar, people may laugh but it is not out of malice; they laugh at themselves too.
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Do not lose your temper or raise your voice in public. Being forceful may mean a strong character in other countries but in Myanmar it is regarded as a weakness and a loss of dignity and will result in a great loss of face for you and everyone around you.
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When Myanmar are angry they are most unlikely to show it, because to do so would be impolite. Just because people are smiling at you, it may not mean you have not offended them.
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Business is 'booming' but challenges linger, says tourism industry expert
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INDEPTH REPORT
Business is 'booming' but challenges linger, says tourism industry expert Pix and text by Stuart Deed
As an industry observer, it’s hard to find somebody with a better perspective of Myanmar’s tourism sector than U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar. He runs a successful travel and tour company(All Asia Exclusive Travel Co), chairs the Myanmar Tourism Marketing body, is joint secretary general of the Myanmar Tourism Federation and is an executive committeemember for Union of Myanmar Travel Association. ne way or another I’m largely involved in a lot of tourism organisations,” U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar says in the meeting room of his office near Yangon’s Thuwanna Stadium. He adds that with the world’s attention focused on Myanmar, it’s a good time to be in the tourism sector: “Business is booming.”
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But the surge in interest in Myanmar is coming at a cost for travellers because accommodation and planes are overbooked, resulting in high prices for hotel rooms and airline tickets. “For the majority of tourism operators it’s becoming an obstacle to selling Myanmar as a tourist destination because of those higher hotel rates and airfares,” U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar says. “But on the other hand it depends how you market your products. If you’re competing in a mass market it’s quite impossible to market Myanmar because it’s getting more expensive to travel here. But if you’re targeting a niche market, where people are looking for exclusive service, nice boutique hotels and very personalised programs, then you’re able to survive despite the higher costs,” he adds. “You need to be unique, you need to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Specialist companies can make more business because they can offer exclusive services and it’s easier for them to keep ahead of their competitors.” However, it will be at least 12 months and possibly as much as three years before Myanmar can offer more affordable rooms in key destinations such as Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan and Inle Lake. “I think it will take at least one more year for room prices to come down,” he says. “Novotel [hotels] are under construction in Yangon and Inle Lake and there are a number of hotels to be opened in November 2014, so we have to give at least one more year. By mid2015 the rates will be normalised and by 2016 Myanmar will be more ready to take more arrivals at more reasonable rates.” U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar said Myanmar’s domestic airline operators also face a
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battle to bring better service at a cheaper price to customers. At present it is cheaper to fly to Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur than to Dawei, in southeastern Tanintharyi Region. For the airlines to make money and bring down price, U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar said they must be better organised. “I have some close friends in Myanmar’s airline industry and most of them are not making a profit,” he says. “I think it has to do with management. They have to manage their businesses in a more streamlined way … [and] they need to manage their aircraft in a more profitable way to save costs and at the same time to be more operationally viable.” “Most of them are giving out new schedules for the next two or three weeks. It shows that they are not doing it well. In order to run an airline profitably they have to be able to stick to their schedules and keep their load factor, for both passengers and cargo, optimum.” He adds that it’s not uncommon to see aircraft grounded by a lack of spare parts or pilots, even in the middle of peak tourism season. “That’s not acceptable. As an airline operator they should keep the aircraft in working order as much as possible, otherwise they are losing money. They need a more efficient way of managing their aircraft and pilots,” he says. However, despite that the increased costs U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar said it has become much easier to sell Myanmar to the world – partly because National League for Democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi puts the country in the media spotlight every time she goes abroad. “It’s a lot easier to promote Myanmar nowadays because we have free publicity whenever we see that the ‘Lady’ goes abroad to attend a ceremony
or something else. It’s free publicity for Myanmar,” he says. The change to a more democratic government has also brought a shift in the regime’s handling of the press, U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar says. “In the past whenever there was a political event, like a demonstration, there was always immediate bad publicity for Myanmar. But at the time the former administration was very introverted, and they wanted to shut off all bad news. But these days the government is transparent; whatever is happening they let the world know so that we can show what is really happening … the news agencies cannot distort the news any more. It’s also easier for us to take corrective actions when it comes to the image of Myanmar and give a brighter picture of Myanmar.” Another change that has benefited the industry since the Thein Sein government took over in 2011 and signed peace agreements with some ethnic groups, has been the easing of travel restrictions to certain areas – notably Mon and Kayin states. “I believe Kayin and Mon states are ready to be developed as tourist destinations because now peace is prevailing in those two regions. And the border gates are open, so there is a big potential for tourism to prosper in those two regions,” U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar says. “The government has changed its attitude towards tourism and we are now in the limelight as a prioritised business. It is now much easier to get travel permits to let travellers go to areas that were previously off limits.” Another region with potential for tourism development is Chin State but U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar says this will take time, although it might appeal to some hardy travellers and eco tourists. “There is potential in Chin State but in
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INDEPTH REPORT
order to develop tourism you need accessibility, accommodation, amenities and auxiliary services. The most important of these is accessibility and without a proper road or access, it’s very difficult to develop a tourism destination and Chin State is an example of this.” The relatively unexplored parts of Chin State might hold an appeal for tourists who are willing to forgo luxury for unspoilt landscapes and forests. “We need to make sure that the government is involved in managing this type of tourism, especially that the Ministry of Forestry and Environmental Affairs will play a very important role in making it happen, along with the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism. “Most eco tourists are fully aware of the saying: ‘Don’t take anything from the destination apart from photos. Don’t leave anything but your footsteps.’ They tend to be those who care for the environment and nature.” However, U Phyoe Wai Yar Zar said tourism must benefit the communities in areas visited by tourists, not least because it is the local people who make Myanmar a memorable experience. “People who have visited here bring home memories of the people rather than the destination,” he says. “The ministry has a policy drawn up that reflects that the communities at tourist destinations are very important. They should benefit from the tourism industry, and take part in the development of tourism. “But we also have to educate those communities in order to sustain the business because they are very important players in tourism development.”
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For the majority of tourism operators it’s becoming an obstacle to selling Myanmar as a tourist destination because of those higher hotel rates and airfares,
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ChaukhtutGyi
Reclining
buddha image By Ma Thanegi
The Chauk Htat Gyi Reclining Buddha Image in Yangon is a short drive from the Shwedagon Pagoda, off Shwegondine Road. Also known as the Six-Storey-High Buddha Image, it is one of the most revered reclining Buddha images in Myanmar.
Pix: Aung Photography
ChaukhtutGyi Reclining buddha image 24
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SPECIAL FEATURES
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here are two traditional reclining image styles: one lying on the right flank with the head resting on both a pillow and the right palm, with legs stretched straight and aligned neatly: this is the Parinibanna ‘dying’ pose showing the Buddha on his death bed. The other has the right hand supporting the raised head with the left leg slightly bent at the knee in the ‘resting’ pose. The Chauk Htat Gyi Image shows the Buddha in the resting pose and at 66 metres (216 feet) long is one of the six largest reclining images in Myanmar. Other reclining images in Myanmar are the Shwe Thar Lyaung and the Mya Tha Lyaung, at Bago, which are 54.8m (180ft) and 82m (269ft) long respectively, the Lawka Tharapu at Dawei, 73.6m (242 ft), the reclining image at Monywa, 101m (333ft), and the 182.9m (600ft) long Win Sein image near Mawlamyine, which is the biggest in the world and in the Parinibanna ‘dying’ pose. The Chauk Htat Gyi Image is probably the most beautiful, with eyes that look alive because they are made of glass rather than being painted; the face of the image has a gentle expression, and it has a gracefully proportionate body and nicely-detailed one hundred and eight noble symbols on the soles of the feet. However, it was not always so. In the history of Buddha images, the Chauk Htat Gyi reclining image is the only one built to replace an image made in a pose regarded as being incorrect. By tradition, Buddhist pagoda spires or images are not destroyed but encased in a new one if they are too damaged to be repaired. In this case there was no alternative other than to replace the original image because testing showed one of its foundations was too weak to support the new structure. A wealthy Burmese Buddhist, Sir Po Tha, sponsored the original to earn merit and work began in 1899 on a reclining image 60m (195ft) long. Building images, especially huge ones, is a craft that only some artisans with specific training and experience can manage. The Burmese Buddhist masters of each craft adhere to rules and ratios that they learned from their forefathers through hands-on training. The rules are almost always set out in verse to make it easier for apprentices to learn by heart, the same way that ratios of herbs for medicine, to give another example, are passed from one generation to the next. The ancient image-making masters
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Pix: Aung Photography
Pix: Aung Photography
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Pix: Aung Photography
MY MAGICAL MYANMAR | FEBRUARY | 2014
also relied on a jealously-guarded template made by themselves or handed down from father to son, to calculate the ratio of proportions in making huge images. First, they glued together oneinch-thick planks with tree sap adhesive, which is water-soluble. Then, from this layered block they carved a perfectlyproportioned image, either seated or reclining. When completed to satisfaction they soaked the piece in water to separate the layers. They now had small contoured scale model sections for making a much bigger image. Unfortunately, Sir Po Tha’s first choice of a great master resigned due to conflict. The donor then chose a non-Buddhist construction company to continue the work, which was completed in 1907. The resulting image reclined on the right bent elbow but with the hand resting on the couch and not propping up the head. The head and shoulders rose not at a slant, as would be anatomically correct, but straight up and from a distance resembled a seated image. The face was almost rectangular and had an almost aggressive expression. In the eyes of the public the image was discomforting to behold and by the mid 1950s the pagoda trustees had
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Pix: Aung Photography
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SPECIAL FEATURES
decided they should replace it with a more appropriately proportioned figure. During the deconstruction process, many treasures were found and these, along with others, were enshrined inside the new image. The new image was made by experienced workers supervised by U Thaung, a master craftsman from Dawei. Hundreds of devotees donated their labour every day by helping to carry bricks, bags of cement, or buckets of sand. In the original the head was placed towards the northwest but in the new image the head was placed towards the southeast. The new image is 6.5m (21ft) longer than its predecessor. A big challenge for the new image was making the eyes: instead of painting them – as was normal for almost all huge images – the trustees wanted glass eyes that had to be 1.77m (5.8ft) long and 0.58m (1.9ft) high. They placed orders with factories in Japan and Germany, but none could provide eyes of this size. Finally, led by a revered abbot who was overseeing the construction project, they
The Chaukhtatgyi image shows the Buddha in the resting pose and at 66 metres (216 feet) long is one of the six largest reclining images in Myanmar.
asked the family-owned Naga (dragon) Glass Factory in Yangon’s Hlaing Township, that until a few years ago was still producing excellent hand-blown glass. The Naga Glass Factory, whose owners and workers lived in a large, supportive community, had previously declined requests to make the eyes because of the difficulty involved. This time they agreed; it took five attempts to make the eyes.
For the duration of the project the family members and workers of the Naga Glass Factory kept the nine precepts of Buddhism. On May 16, 1973 the completed eyes were transported on a golden-wheeled ceremonial vehicle to the pagoda along a route covered by clean, white sand and lined by thousands of people. The procession and the ceremonial placing of the eyes was filmed by the state broadcaster. The eyelashes were made by master craftsman U Thaung; the 70 upper lashes are 30.4 centimetres (1 foot) long and the 60 lower lashes are 15.2cm (six inches) long. Some minor detailing work remained but the image was technically completed with the placing of the eyes (or in other cases painting them in) with this grand ‘myet hna daw hpwint’ (“open the visage”) ceremony. The Anay-gazatin, or ceremony to consecrate the image, was performed later the same month by 1100 monks. * Entrance fees: free
Pix: Aung Photography
Pix: Aung Photography
MY MAGICAL MYANMAR | FEBRUARY | 2014
Pix: Aung Photography
29
The buddha footprint By Ma Thanegi
ymbolic representations of footprints of the Buddha (Buddhapada in Sanskrit) are found in all the countries to which Buddhist teachings spread and are especially revered in Myanmar. Thailand and Sri Lanka. It is common for Buddhapada to feature the 32, 108 or 132 distinctive marks of a Buddha. Buddhapada are found on the The Chauk Htat Gyi Reclining Buddha Image in Yangon, which is featured elsewhere in this magazine. The 108 symbols found on Buddhapada represent the three worlds of Buddhist cosmology, the tri lawka.
S
The 108 symbols comprise the: 59 symbols of the inanimate world (okkasa lawka), 21 symbols of the animate world (sutta lawka), and 28 symbols of the world of impermanence (sinkara lawka). The symbols on Buddhapada are often set around a Sekkya (in Sanskrit, Dharma-chakra) wheel and arranged in a grid and in certain order.
List of footprint symbols
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
10
37
70
71
72
73
74
75
46
11
36
69
94
95
96
97
76
47
12
35
68
93 105 106
98
77
48
13
34
67
92
78
49
14
33
66
91
79
50
15
32
65
90
80
51
16
31
64
89 104 107
99
81
52
17
30
63
88 103 108 100
82
53
18
29
62
87
61
28 27
102 86
60 26
59 25
101 85 58 24
83
54 55
84 56 57
19 20
21
22
23
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Yangon:
1. Lance 2. Mansion 3. Zalut flower 4. Noble three lines on the throat 5. Bejewelled forehead band 6. Meal 7. Inn pyin 8. Elephant handler’s spike 9. Tiered roof 10. Ornamental gate pillar 11. White umbrella 12. Short sword 13. Palm leaf fan 14. Peacock tail fan 15. Samari bird’s tail fan 16. Decorated frontlet on the Buddha’s forehead, or thin kyit 17. Ruby bowl 18. Myat lay flower sprig 19. Brown lotus 20. Red lotus 21. Padonmar lotus 22. White lotus 23. Ponna yeik lotus 24. Full pot 25. Full bowl 26. Ocean 27. Mountain of the universe 28. Himalayas 29. Mt Meru 30. Sun 31. Moon 32. Planets 33-36. Four islands of Burmese cosmology 37. 2,000 small islands
38. Sekkya Min, the king who rules all 39. White conch shell 40. Pair of fish 41-47. Seven rivers 48-54. Seven mountains 55-61. Seven lakes 62. Galon min 63. Crocodile min 64. Banner tagun kokkar 65. Gold palanquin 66. Horse hair fan 67. Kaythalar mountain 68. Lion king 69. Tiger king 70. Wala hakka horse king 71. Upaw thahta elephant king 72. Hsandan white elephant king 73. Wathu ni naga dragon king 74. Hintha goose king 75. Bullock king 76. Erawun, elephant king 77. Maggan, a sea creature of many parts from different animals 78. Boat with four faces 79. Cow and calf 80. Keinnara 81. Keinarri 82. Karaweik bird king 83. Peacock king 84. Kyokyar king 85. Setta wut bird king 86. Ziwasoe bird king 87-92. 6 realms of nat 93-108. sixteen realms of Brahma
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