One of the most
revered sites in Bago as well as the rest of Myanmar is the Shwemawdaw
Pagoda. The name translates to “Great
Golden God” and was built in 10th century and just happens to be the
tallest pagoda in Myanmar. Standing at a
height of 114 meters (374 feet) it is over 15 meters higher than the famous
Shwedagon Pagoda in neighboring Yangon.
It was built to enshrine relics of the Buddha, including two strands of
hair being gifted by Gautama himself during his lifetime. Originally built over a thousand years ago,
it was constructed by the Mon during a time of great prosperity. Over the centuries, the Shwemawdaw Pagoda has
been rebuilt and enlarged numerous times due to being in an earthquake zone and
by the Mon rulers as well as by repentant Bamar monarchs as atonement for the
loss of life incurred by their conquests.
Upon entering
the complex, you’ll be greeted by two huge chinthes, a mythological animal that
resembles a lion. There are numerous
small pagodas near the base of the pagoda too.
The pagoda is topped with a diamond-studded hti, a top ornament shaped
as an umbrella found on most Burmese temples.
On the surrounding area are statues of Nats (spirits) and eight shrines
where Buddhists pray. The eight shrines
are for each day of the week according to Eastern astrology. The most interesting part of the Shwemawdaw
Pagoda is the top section section of the pagoda that broke off during the 1917
earthquake. It’s on full display and
gives you an idea of how devastated the area was.
Although it’s
very revered it wasn’t as busy as the famous Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. It only gets really busy during Buddhist
holidays and national holidays. It was
great for me since it was very easy to take pictures without having to wait for
long periods of time for people to get out of the way. The temple grounds are open daily from
6am-9pm. The Bago Archaelogical Zone
ticket you purchase for roughly $10 is valid here. I was also charged a camera fee of $3
also. Definitely use your wide lens to
capture the immense height of this pagoda.
There are also plenty of shops to get offerings and souvenirs too.
The other
interesting thing to witness in Bago is the Kyaly Khat Wai Monastery. Now there’s really nothing outstanding about
the history or architecture of this monastery but everyday at 11am you can
witness something interesting. Buddhist
monks begin their days very early so their main meal is eaten at
lunchtime. Lunchtime in general is not
that spectacular, but lunchtime at a monastery that has nearly 500 Buddhist monks is a site to see.
I had first seen
this on some travel shows of very long lines of Buddhist monks walking in a
single file line gathering donations (often in the form of food with their
large bowls). I knew when I came to
visit Myanmar I had to put this on my list to witness. I originally was going to see this daily
ritual at a Mahagandayon Monastery in the Mandalay region but a flight delay
caused me to miss it. Luckily, I had a
free day at the end of trip and this was close enough to Yangon for me to
participate in it.
My tour guide
and I got here about 30 minutes early to scope out the best spot. Slowly, the tour buses arrived and hordes of
other tourists like me poured out to witness the lunchtime ritual. Out of nowhere a single Buddhist monk comes
out with a big stick and walks up to the gong and gives it a good strike to
notify his fellow monks that lunchtime is ready. Out of nowhere the Monks appear along the
long hallway with their bowl in hand. If
people would like to donate some food they simply make eye contact and the monk
will raise his bowl to accept their offering.
Most of the time I saw people giving scoops of rice. The other observation I had was that the
elders line up first so it sucks to be the youngest or if you’re really
hungry.
The amazing
thing to notice was how quiet and peaceful they were as they were waiting
patiently in line. I’ve been in lunch
lines before with over hundreds of people and can’t imagine with that many
people could be so quiet. The thing is,
once you think there’s not going to be any more monks, more monks come out. I lost track of time of how it took from the
first monk to the last because I was too busy taking photos. I kept wondering what happens if food ran out
and would the younger guys go hungry that day.
Luckily, for those who didn’t receive a food donation from a bystander,
there’s a huge cauldron of rice at the entrance where monks can’t get a few
scoops for themselves. What ever isn’t
used is then taken inside to be distributed.
Once everyone is
inside they are seated and then they begin to recite a chant. I forgot to ask
my tour guide what they were saying but it went on for a few minutes and then
they began to eat. Again, they are in
complete silence throughout their meal.
I’ve always found meals to be a social endeavor and an opportunity to
bond with others so I found it odd.
This is definitely
one of the more interesting and spiritual aspects of Buddhist life in
Myanmar. I completely recommend
witnessing this daily ritual even if you’re not a Buddhist like me but it gives
you a better glimpse into Myanmar culture.
Happy traveling…
