BURMΑ'S PLEA

DIMITRA STASINOPOULOU
BURMA’s
PLEA
“Please use your freedom to promote ours”
[...] What the remarkable photographs in this book reveal are the people behind the
statistics, and the lives and diversity of the ordinary people in one of the most extraordinary
countries in the world. They show the beauty of its landscape, the unique architecture, and
most of all, the character and essence of the people. It is a unique collection of a nation at
work, at play, and at prayer. Burma is a country where people are quick to smile, but where a
dark sadness lies beneath. It is all captured here, and the images will not easily be forgotten.
[...]
Mark Farmaner
Burma Campaign UK

BURMA’s PLEA
“Please use your freedom to promote ours”
Aung San Suu Kyi
PHOTOGRAPHY - TEXT
Dimitra Stasinopoulou

PRIVATE EDITION
To the Lady of Burma,
Aung San Suu Kyi,
the outstanding example of
the power of the powerless
Dimitra Stasinopoulou has donated these books to Burma Campaign UK.
Any proceeds from the sales can be used at their discretion. To find out more
about their work and ways to support, please contact:
BURMA CAMPAIGN UK
28 Charles Square,
London, N1 6HT
Tel: +44 (0)20 7324 4710
Email: info @burmacampaign.org.uk
Web: www.burmacampaign.org.uk
The Burma Campaign UK, Registered Company No. 3804730
Registered office address as shown above.

Dimitra Stasinopoulou was born in Athens, Greece in 1953. After
completing her studies, she worked in the banking sector for 20
years, and later on, in the family business in Romania. Her first
Book “Romania of my Heart” was awarded with the Romanian
UNESCO prize. Ever since then, her love of travelling to amazing
destinations around the globe and her desire to share the images
she brought back with her, led her to the publiction of the books
“Bhutan, Smiling Faces from the Roof of the World” in October
2008, “India, Unity in Diversity” in March 2010, and “Papua, New
Guinea”, in September 2011. Her pictures have been awarded in
international photo-competitions and have been displayed in
Greece and abroad.
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE & MOTIVATION - INTRODUCTION 6 - 13
EAST BURMA Inle Lake, Shan State 14 - 83
WEST BURMA Sittwe, Mrauk U, Ngapali 84 - 205
UPPER BURMA Mandalay, Bagan, Irrawaddy River, Maymyo, Mt.Popa 206 - 351
SOUTH BURMA Yangon, Bago, The Golden Rock 352 - 407

PROLOGUE & MOTIVATION by Dimitra Stasinopoulou
have written in the past that my interest in photography came late
I in my life. As I grew up, I began traveling and photographing places
and, above all, people that are distant from the modern western way of
life, who pursue a different path, and who have not been overtaken yet
by the homogeneity of the west. I take photographs of whatever moves
me, I take photographs from the heart, hoping to transmit these images
and emotional experiences and discovering what it means seeing, rather
than merely looking. The poet Tasos Livaditis wrote, “Only when you
share it does the world exist”, a phrase that perfectly sums up my need to
share all this.
Burma (renamed Myanmar by the military dictatorship in 1989) has
been ruled by one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world since
1962, the year when the democratic political system was dissolved.
The country and its people differ from the rest of Asia. As Kipling
wrote, “This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know
about”. More than a century later, Myanmar remains a world apart. It’s
like visiting a vast open-air museum, with time stopping in 1948. The
country and its population are different from the rest of Asia. Just three
months after my first visit, in October 2010, I was back. The “land of the
golden horizons”, as it also called, is a beautiful country frozen in time,
one of the most mysterious and unexplored destinations in the world,
with a cultural heritage going back 2.500 years. Wonderful monuments
and ancient cities testify to a vibrant culture, whilst the warmest greetings
of Asia await the visitors who can appreciate this exceptional place.
It is also said that “in the other Asian countries the people offer you a
gentle smile, while here the smiles never end”. Due to years of political
isolation, Myanmar is one of the world’s least technologically advanced
countries. Although modern practices, such as cars and televisions, have
made their appearance, there are still parts of the country where goods
are transported in ox-drawn carts, or in rafts along the rivers, and where
storytellers are responsible for the evening’s entertainment. In one of
the most photogenic countries in the world, it seems all one has to do is
point the camera, and he has a wonderful picture. The people, friendly
and anxious for a window to the outside world, embrace foreign visitors.
A unique charm and ambience prevails throughout the country.
The country which Marco Polo called “The Golden Land” inspired by the
spectacle of the golden pagodas, is inhabited by good hearted, hospitable
and deeply religious people, 90% being Buddhist. Religion is defining
their lives. The most important institution is the Theravada Buddhism
School, whilst the local animistic worship is still alive, now incorporated
into Buddhism. Burma today has over 56.800 monasteries, the number
of monks, nuns and young novices, exceeding 580.000. In the past,
religion also defined political legitimacy, and each king was responsible
for reforming the principles of Sangha, that is, of monkhood, and for
building imposing pagodas. The monks played an even more important
role: all the schools in the pre-colonial period were inside the monasteries
and the monks had the responsibility for educating the people, so
that they would read the scriptures. Even today, thousands of children
from poor families, or orphans from remote villages, are sent to the
monastic schools in order to be taught reading, writing and the basic
elements of the natural sciences, history, geography and Buddhism, as
well as to ensure that they are fed. Seventy percent of the population
belongs to the Burman (Bumah) ethnic group, which is related to the
Tibetan, while the country has another 135 ethnic minority groups.
George Orwell, who lived in Burma for a number of years, serving in
the British Empire’s Indian Imperial Police force, was prophetic for the
conditions that prevail today. His novels The Burmese Days, Animal
Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, appear to have been written specifically
as an account of the situation that the country faces the last 50 years.
The generals have been accused of infringing human rights, of violent
displacements of ethnic minorities, the widespread use of forced labour,
even amongst under age children, kidnapping civilians and using them
to war zones to carry bullets and bombs, murders and rapes. The
inhabitants have revolted many times, the best known occasion being
the large uprising that was violently suppressed in 1988.
In 2007, when the people protested peacefully in the streets, demanding
democratic reforms and better living conditions, the military did not
hesitate to open fire, even against the thousands of Buddhist monks. The
regime revealed its hateful side in May 2008, when Burma was struck by
Cyclone Nargis, leaving in its wake hundreds of thousands of dead and
millions in emergency need. Although they had advance warnings from
the meteorological agencies, they did not do the slightest to be prepared,
and they didn’t inform the people. The cyclone found the inhabitants
unprotected in the face of the powerful winds, that devastated villages,
uprooted houses and swept children from their parents’ arms, while
after the disaster the regime refused to accept the aid of the United
Nations and humanitarian groups and refused medicines, food and
clean water. In declaring that any aid was unwelcome they left its people
at the mercy of famine and epidemics.
Because of its long-term political isolation, Burma is one of the poorest
countries in the world, but the poverty one encounters everywhere,
does not seem to have crushed the morale of its smiling people.
As I wandered through bustling markets, golden pagodas and faded
British hill stations – like images from old postcards – it was difficult
for me to believe that I was travelling in a country whose people were
suffering from the greatest human rights violations in the world. In
contrast of what you see, a society that values tradition and can look
after itself, this country is like a prison. The local guides are carefully
chosen, and they only show what the regime permits, carefully hiding
the reality. It is not rare at all, however, for some local to start talking
to you of their support for Αung San Suu Kyi and of their hopes for
the collapse of the country’s military regime, to tell the world about
their hidden, deep suffering. On my first day in Yangon, as I set off
from the most holy place of pilgrimage, the Swhedagon Pagoda, a
man approached me, smiled and said to me: “please spread our need
for democracy, we are so tired”, one of the few fleeting hints that not
everything was right.
Burma’s amazing natural landscape, the picturesque villages and its
vibrant culture, hide from the visitor the harsh reality that lurks beneath
the surface. The regime has driven the country into an unprecedented
isolation and poverty, gradually deadening its spirit, its purity, its deeper
truth. Suspicion has a primary role in human communication, given
that anybody could be, and sometimes is, a government spy. People
are arrested, imprisoned and tortured for long periods of time, without
being charged, or trialed, and without being able to appeal. People are
not permitted to travel freely within the country; they cannot even
spend the night at a friend’s house without special permission and
each citizen must be registered to live at a given address. The regime
has photographs of all tenants and during the sporadic raids of homes,
which always happen late at night, anyone who is not documented is
arrested. This for me is the most shocking thing about Burma: how this
flagrant oppression of a whole nation of 55 million people, can exist
and be perpetuated in a completely cloaked manner, as the country’s
rich visual imagery can divert your attention from the oppression of the
people, the infringements and the undercurrent of sorrow.
In order to get to know the true Burma, one must come face-to-face
with the displacement of at least 1.000,000 inhabitants, the existence of
over 2.000 political prisoners -many of whom are tortured, the use of
systematic rapes as a weapon of control, the human trafficking, the high
infant mortality rate (10% die before the age of five), the huge military
expenditure (half the national budget), the propaganda of the media,
and the poverty, in contrast with the luxury palatial villas in which the
generals live.
Until recently, travelers avoided visiting, backing the boycott, trying
not to strengthen and maintain the regime with their money, but things
are different now. People have a need to speak with someone –anyone–
from abroad. Visitors are living symbols that they need to see, in order
to feel that they have not been forgotten. Tourists for the Burmese, are
a wide window to learn about the outside world, while talking with the
local can bring ideas. Ideas are like oxygen and valuable information
can be transferred from and to the country. “Please use your liberty to
promote ours” is their only request, as it was expressed by Aung San Suu
Kyi, Burma’s icon of democracy, the only thing that they ask in return
for sharing the wonderful natural and cultural treasures that they have
taken care to preserve. And it is indeed the duty of the foreigners, to give
something small in return to these wonderful people who have suffered
for decades, and to spread the news of all they have encountered
during their stay in the country. To get to know these humble, gentle
and decent people, who can teach us much with their smiles, patience
and generous humanity, who allow their deep religious feelings to
guide them to a kindness and an inexhaustible and persistent faith in
life, and who desperately want to find their place in the world, within a
country that is at the mercy of tyrants, isolated from the international
community.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the Lady, as they call her in Burma, armed only with
the principle of non-violent resistance and her smile, dares to stand up
to the generals who have controlled Burma for five decades, personifies
all meaning of resistance, every hope for freedom. In 1990, she and
her party, the National League for Democracy, won a crushing victory
during the country’s first elections, but she was never allowed to govern.
This brave woman, has spent 15 of the past twenty-one years of her life
under house arrest, while at the same time, has also become the voice for
one of the most oppressed and unjustly treated people on the planet.
Perhaps the Noble Peace Prize that she was awarded in 1991, was the
most overt expression of support on the part of the West for her quiet,
persistent yet peaceful struggle. The decision of the Norwegian Nobel
Committee stated: “We have decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for
1991, to Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar (Burma), for her non-violent
struggle for democracy and human rights… Suu Kyi’s struggle is one of the
most extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia in recent decades.
She has become an important symbol in the struggle against oppression…
We wish to honour this woman for her unflagging efforts and to show
our support for the many people throughout the world who are striving
to attain democracy, human rights and ethnic conciliation by peaceful
6 7

means”. The committee chairman, called her “an outstanding example
of the power of the powerless”.
In a world in desperate need of heroes, Aung San Suu Kyi stands tall
as one of the few moral resistance symbols left. Wang Dan, the leader
of the bloody student uprising in Tiananmen Square, China, in 1989,
refers to her as “A Lady called Hope”. He has “drawn inspiration from
Suu Kyi” and declares that “She has become a symbol to those of us
fighting for human rights against authoritarian regimes. She represents
a force that seems weak on first appearance but which, in fact, is truly
tremendous”. When she was liberated in November 13 th , 2010, the U.S.
President Barack Obama called her “a hero of mine”, while her first
statements were: “My very top priority is for people to understand that
they have the power to change things themselves,” adding “In my life, I
have been showered with kindness. More than love, I value kindness. Love
comes and goes, but kindness remains”. Her message is very simple: “only
by defeating your fears you can be truly free”. And it is precisely this
message that the military regime fears and is desperate to silence.
In the November 2010 elections, San Suu Kyi’s party was prohibited
from participating. The United Nations described these elections as
a parody with the purpose of legitimising the regime. Thein Sein, a
former general, who won the elections with almost 80% of the seats,
was appointed President by the parliament and became the country’s
first non-military President in fifty years. Today, there are a few hopeful
signs, but are still very far from the true changes this country needs.
On October 6 th 2011 the government, in order to lift the political
and economic sanctions imposed in the 1990s, by the USA, EU and
Australia, announced the release of a number of political prisoners.
My journeys to Burma, were among the most amazing and revealing,
that I have undertaken in my whole life. I was able to approach people
who live under the harshest dictatorship. These photographs are a
glimpse onto the hinterland of a forgotten country, where the people
remain excruciatingly isolated and cut off, enduring one of the worst
regimes in the world with an incredible stoicism and dignity, and
who truly need the help of all of us. The viciousness of the regime, the
hardships, people’s daily struggle for survival, the poverty, the kindness,
the quiet dignity, as well as the hope, are documented through the
camera lens, along with their souls.
There are so many experiences that I would like to share with you
on the kindness of these people. One day, as I was slowly climbing
up the steep footpath towards the Golden Rock, one of the country’s
most holy pilgrimage sites, a tropical storm suddenly broke out and it
was impossible for me to continue. A beautiful, toothless, old peasant
woman invited me into the reed hut that housed her whole family, their
tools and their animals. Conversation, beyond the language of gestures,
a smile, an eye contact, a touch, was impossible. Despite all this, we
felt very close for the few hours, until the rain stopped. When the time
came for me to leave, and knowing that we would probably never meet
again, we walked to the edge of the road and said farewell, with a warm
embrace. We continue to be together. I still think of her. When our
minds could not meet, our hearts formed the common bond. When our
speech was a mystery, it was solved through our glances and our hand
movements. I kept thinking, that no matter how many journeys one
might take, whichever part of the planet we may find ourselves, every
time we will see the cheeky smile of a child, the impetuous gaze of the
adults and the stoic, welcome expression of the elders, we realize that
under the successive layers of culture, we are all the same.
Burma Campaign UK is a non-profit organisation that fights for
human rights, democracy and Burma’s development, the loudest voice
in support of Aung San Suu Kyi’s struggle and the suffering people of
Burma. It is an honour for me to offer them these books.
I am grateful and deeply indebted to the authors of the books I used
for my research. Their deep knowledge has granted me precious input
regarding the way of life, the religion and the culture of Burma - in
fact, the completion of this book would have been impossible without
their contribution.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BURMA CAMPAIGN UK www.burmacampaign.org.uk
BBC News, Country Profile: Burma
Aung San Suu Kyi, Letters From Burma, Penguin books, 2010
Aung San Suu Kyi, Freedom from Fear, Penguin books, 1991
Aung San Suu Kyi, The Voice of Hope, Random Group Ltd, 2008
George Orwell, Animal Farm, Harcourt Books, 2003
George Orwell, Burmese Days, Penguin Modern Classics, 2009
George Orwell, 1984, Harcourt Books, 2003
Asia Transpacific Journeys, Information leaflet
Peter De Ruiter, Burma: The Beauty and the Beast, Kindle Edition 2010
David I. Steinberg, Burma/Myanmar – What Everyone Needs to Know,
Oxford University Press, 2010
Emma Larkin, Finding George Orwell In Burma, Penguin Books, 2010
Human Rights Watch, Burma’s Forgotten Prisoners, Kindle Edition, 2009
Frans Welman, Oh Burma–A Country Abandoned–Myanmar or Burma,
vol. I & II, Kindle Edition, 2011
Pascal Khoo Thwe, From the Land of the Green Ghosts: Burmese Odyssey,
Harper Perennial, 2003
A Patrick Forsyth, A Land Like None you know, Awe and Wonder in Burma on the Road to
Mandalay, Bangkok Books, 2010
Rudyard Kipling, “On the Road to Mandalay”, Barrack-Room Ballads, and Other Verses, Signet
Classics, 2003
Normal Lewis, Golden Earth-Travels in Burma, Eland Publishing, 2008
Thant Myint-U, The River of the Lost Footsteps-A Personal History of Burma, Faber & Faber Ltd,
Kindle Edition, 2011
Anders Ostergaard, Burma NJ (DVD), 2008
Lisa Rhodes, Roads to Existence, Kindle Edition, 2008
Noel F. Singer, Burma: A Ph.Journey 1855-1925, Kiscadale, 1993
Matthew Smith (Human rights and environmental activist), “Time for New Approach to Burma:
War Crimes Mounting”, Internet article
Ma Thanegi (text), Khant (photography), The Splendors of Myanmar, Asia House Publication
Hannah Beech, “The Lady Returns”, TIME Magazine, Nov.29, 2010
Hannah Beech, “The Fighter” TIME Magazine, January 10, 2011
R. Ratnesar, “Is it time to Invade Burma”, Time World,May 10,2008
Lonely Planet, Burma/Myanmar, 2009
Wikipedia And Wikitravel
BURMA - AN INTRODUCTION by Mark Farmaner, Director, Burma Campaign UK
Burma is a country most people know little about. Some may
have heard of Aung San Suu Kyi, the iconic leader of Burma’s
democracy movement. A winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, she has
spent 15 years in detention, mostly under house arrest. Her nonviolent
and stoic resistance is an inspiration not just to the people of
Burma, but for people all over the world.
When Burma does make the news it is often because of an atrocity,
such as in 2007, when soldiers opened fire on Buddhist monks
marching peacefully in the streets, calling for democratic change.
Or because of a tragedy, such as when Cyclone Nargis struck in 2008,
and the dictatorship ruling the country refused to allow international
aid into the country. At least 140,000 people lost their lives. Burma
is also often referred to in terms of statistics, having thousands of
political prisoners, the Burmese Army destroying 3,600 villages of
ethnic minority groups, and having one of the world’s longest running
civil wars.
What the remarkable photographs in this book reveal, are the people
behind the statistics, and the lives and diversity of the ordinary people
in one of the most extraordinary countries in the world. They show
the beauty of its landscape, the unique architecture, and most of all,
the character and essence of the people. It is a unique collection of
a nation at work, at play, and at prayer. Burma is a country where
people are quick to smile, but where a dark sadness lies beneath. It is
all captured here, and the images will not easily be forgotten.
HISTORY
Burma’s strategic location, with India and China as neighbours, has
played in the development and history of the country. It has also
contributed to Burma being beset by conflict for much of its history.
The first people to settle in central Burma are thought to be the Mon.
Their migration from India began approximately 3-2,500BC. However,
the Arakanese in north-west Burma claim they had kingdoms in
Burma as long ago as 3,335BC. Migration of other groups followed,
with the Karen thought to have travelled to Burma from Mongolia,
the Kachin from Tibet, and many others from Yunnan in China. The
Bamar, the Burmese ethnic group, came from southern China, and
founded the kingdom of Pagan. Many other smaller ethnic groups
also came to Burma, settling in more isolated mountains and valleys.
In 1044 the Burmese King Anawratha began to extend Burmese
rule over much of the country and promoted Theravada Buddhism.
Anawratha then conquered the Mon kingdom. In 1077 Anawratha
was succeeded by his son, Sawlu. He was killed in fighting against
the Mon and replaced by the military leader, Kyansittha. Under his
rule, Pagan is said to have been known as the “city of the four million
pagodas”. He died in 1112. As the Mongols in China and the ethnic
Shan in the east of Burma grew stronger, Burmese rule weakened.
Pagan was overwhelmed by the Mongols in 1287. The Mon broke
with Pagan and founded a new kingdom at Martaban in Tenasserim,
further south in Burma.
In a period extending from about 1300 to 1550, the Shan dominated
Burma with their capital at Ava. In 1369, the Mon abandoned
Martaban and built a new capital at Pegu under King Zazadhirit
(1385-1423). The Mon, ruled by, among others, Queen Shin Saw
Bu and King Dhammazedi, and the Shan, under kings such as
Minkhaung, waged many wars. The Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon
was built between 1453 and 1492, a period during which Minkyinyo
established Toungoo as a new Burmese power base. During this time
the first European explorers arrived, mainly Portuguese. Some were
to eventually settle in Burma, prized by Burmese Kings for their
artillery skills. Burmese influence revived between 1531 and 1550.
Tabinshweti set up his capital at Pegu. He was murdered by a Mon
subject, leaving King Bayinnaung to bring the Burmese, the Shan and
the Mon under his rule. After his death, the Burmese spent the next
two hundred years or more fighting intermittent wars with the Thai
and the Arakanese.
8
9

In 1752, Alaungpaya became the first king of the Konbaung dynasty.
He reunited the country but waged more wars against the Thai. He
died in 1760. War-weariness and the rehabilitation of destroyed towns
and villages and the devastated countryside produced a short period
of relative peace and stability. Burmese kings gradually expanded
their influence. However, many ethnic minorities found the rule of
Burmese kings cruel and oppressive.
The early part of the nineteenth century brought the British to southeast
Asia in force. The first Anglo-Burmese war broke out in 1824.
Manipur and Assam were ceded to the British in India. The second
Anglo-Burmese war in 1852 ended with Lower Burma falling into
British hands. In 1857, King Mindon founded Mandalay and made
it his capital. The British captured the city during the third Anglo-
Burmese war in 1885. Thibaw, the last king of the Konbaung dynasty,
was sent into exile in India and Burma became part of the British
empire as a province of India. The British moved the capital to
Rangoon. In January 1886, Burma was incorporated into the British
empire as a province of India; Rangoon was made the capital; and the
Burmese monarchy was abolished.
Resistance to British rule, first through armed uprisings, and later
through political channels and civil disobedience, finally led the
British parliament to pass in 1935 the Government of Burma Act,
providing for the country’s separation from India and a limited
form of home rule with a two-chamber legislative assembly. The
following year, the students of Rangoon University protested
again in protest at attempts to suppress an article in their magazine
criticising government officials. Aung San, father of Aung San Suu
Kyi emerged as the main leader of the nationalist independence
movement. During World War II, Aung San and other leaders of
the independence movement snuck out of Burma and received
training from the Japanese. There were 30 of them, and they became
known as the 30 Comrades. They formed the Burma Independence
Army (BIA) on the 28 th December 1941. The following January,
the first BIA units invaded Burma from Thailand with the Japanese
15 th Army. Japan swiftly occupied Burma. But the Burmese soon
found that Japan was not going to keep promises about restoring the
independence of Burma. Instead they wanted a puppet government.
The Burmese found Japanese rule even more oppressive than
the British.
Aung San secretly met with Lord Mountbatten, commander of allied
forces in South East Asia. He said his forces might be willing to switch
sides. When asked if he was just saying this now as it was clear the
allies were going to win the war, Aung San replied that it would be
silly of him to switch sides to the allies if he thought they were going
to lose! In March 1945, with the British Army successfully retaking
northern Burma, Aung San kept his word, and switched the 10,000
BIA troops, now renamed the Burma National Army in support of
the Allies. The Allies then quickly captured Mandalay and Rangoon.
On August 28 th 1945, the Japanese in Burma formally surrendered.
British rule was restored but Burma’s economy and infrastructure
were in ruins. Elections were held in April 1947 with Aung San’s Anti-
Fascist People’s Freedom League (AFPFL) winning an overwhelming
victory. On the 19th July 1947, Aung San and other senior leaders
were killed by armed uniformed men bursting into a meeting of the
Executive Council. The assassins were traced to the former Prime
Minister, U Saw, who was subsequently found guilty of involvement in
the plot, and executed. As Burma finally celebrated its independence
on the 4 th January 1948, it had also been stripped of its most able and
charismatic leaders.
CONFLICT RETURNS
Almost from the moment of independence, Burma was again afflicted
by conflict. Initially the biggest threat to the government was from
communist insurgents, who had once been part of the independence
movement. Communist insurgency was to continue until the late
1980s. However, an even more serious source of conflict was with
Burma’s many ethnic groups. Burma as it is today was created under
British rule. Some ethnic groups wanted to return to an independent
status, others, such as the Karen, who had been oppressed under the
rule of Burmese kings, also wanted their own separate state.
During World War II many of the ethnic groups had sided with the
British against the invading Japanese and the Burma Independence
Army. This had exacerbated existing ethnic tensions. Many British
commanders in Burma had also promised them an independent
state should Burma become independent after the war. But Britain
broke its word. The British had initially offered a compromise
whereby the ethnic areas on Burma’s mountainous borders would
remain as a kind of British protectorate, while the rest of Burma
gained immediate independence. Aung San refused to consider
this, effectively threatening mass civil unrest and armed uprising if
the British pursued this option. With the British weakened by war
and facing crises which they saw as more important, they backed
down. Burma would gain independence as a whole. Aung San did
understand that the aspirations of Burma’s ethnic people would have
to be accommodated in some way. He held the Panglong conference
in early 1947, at which some ethnic nationalities did agree to remain
part of Burma and the Shan and Karenni had the right to secede after
ten years. This agreement was never honoured by the government of
Burma once independence was obtained.
The ethnic Karen had not signed up to Panglong, and continued to
campaign for their own state. As well as living in the east of Burma in
what is now Karen State, the Karen also lived in the Delta of Burma,
and many lived in Insein Township on the outskirts of Rangoon. The
Karen were most associated with siding with the British. Incidents
of communal violence increased immediately after independence,
and some elements of the Burmese Army appeared to be allowing,
if not actively encouraging, the violence against the Karen. Tensions
reached a peak in December 1948 when a Karen church had a grenade
thrown inside during a service on Christmas Eve. Areas of Insein
where Karen people lived we fired upon by people driving through on
trucks. When political leaders of the Karen were arrested, the main
Karen party, the Karen National Union, called on people to take up
arms, and so began the world’s longest running civil war.
DICTATORSHIP
On 2nd March 1962, General Ne Win, one of the 30 comrades,
seized power in a military coup. He then formed the Burma Socialist
Programme Party. All other parties were eventually banned. Student
protests were brutally put down. The coup was triggered in part by the
democratic government agreeing to meet with some ethnic groups to
discuss the old Panglong agreement. Since independence more ethnic
groups had taken up arms in order to protect their communities and
pursue their political goals. However, the nationalist military was
unwilling to allow the elected government make any concessions to
ethnic groups, claiming they had to take power to preserve the unity
of the nation. Ne Win’s regime isolated the people of Burma, although
Ne Win and other regime officials enjoyed frequent foreign travel.
Tourist visas were granted for only seven days with travel restricted to
specific areas. Burmese citizens were rarely allowed to go abroad.
Ne Win’s economic policies plunged what had been before the war
a relatively prosperous country compared to its neighbours, into
stagnation and decline. Burma was left behind as neighbouring
economies grew, and Burma’s people slipped deeper into poverty.
In 1987 Burma was reclassified by the United Nations as a Least
Developed Country. At the same time Ne Win’s superstitious belief
that his lucky number was 9 led to a bizarre abolition of much of the
currency, leaving only 45 and 90 kyat notes in circulation. As most
people kept all their wealth in cash rather than trusting banks, this
wiped out people’s life savings.
Students protested about these events on the streets, and Ne Win’s
regime responded with brutality, but this in turn just brought more
people onto the streets, culminating in huge protests on 8th August
1988. The Burmese Army fired on the protestors and thousands of
people were killed. Ne Win had announced his resignation in July
but was believed still to be pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
Protests continued and on 18 th September 1988 there was a military
coup, led by Saw Maung. His regime gave themselves the title, the
State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). A year later the
regime announced the country had been renamed Myanmar, a change
many in Burma refused to accept, saying the military had no right to
change the name of the country.
AUNG SAN SUU KYI
Aung San Suu Kyi was born on 19 th June 1945, daughter of Burma’s
independence hero, Aung San, who was assassinated when she was
only two years old. Aung San Suu Kyi was educated in Burma, India,
and the United Kingdom. While studying at Oxford University, she
met Michael Aris, a Tibet scholar who she married in 1972. They had
two sons, Alexander and Kim. Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Burma
in 1988 to nurse her dying mother, and soon became engaged in the
country’s nationwide democracy uprising.
Following the military coup on 18th September 1988, on 24 th
September 1988 a new pro-democracy party, the National League for
Democracy (NLD), was formed. Aung San Suu Kyi was appointed
General Secretary. Aung San Suu Kyi gave numerous speeches calling
for freedom and democracy, and carried out political activities across
the country. Facing increasing domestic and international pressure,
the dictatorship was forced to call a general election, held in 1990
As Aung San Suu Kyi began to campaign for the NLD, she and many
others were detained by the regime. Aung San Suu Kyi was banned
from personally standing in the election. Despite conditions around
the elections being far from free and fair, with Aung San Suu Kyi
and other democracy activists being detained, biased media, and
intimidation of politicians, the voting on the day was relatively free
and fair. The NLD won a staggering 82% of the seats in Parliament.
The dictatorship never recognised the results of the election, and
refused to hand over power.
Aung San Suu Kyi was held under house arrest until July 1995. When
she was released she faced restrictions on travel. On 27 th March 1999,
Aung San Suu Kyi’s husband, Michael Aris, died of cancer in London.
He had petitioned the Burmese authorities to allow him to visit Aung
San Suu Kyi one last time, but they had rejected his request. He had
not seen her since a Christmas visit in 1995. The government always
urged Aung San Suu Kyi to join her family abroad, but she knew that
she would not be allowed to return to Burma. In 2000 Aung San Suu
Kyi was again placed under house arrest after repeated attempts to
leave the capital, Rangoon, to hold political meetings in other parts
of the country. In 2002, Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house
arrest and with freedom to travel around the country. The release was
part of a deal negotiated by UN Envoy on Burma, Razali Ismail. He
had facilitated secret meetings between Aung San Suu Kyi and the
military. However, when it came to move from confidence building
meetings, and instead start dealing with matters of substance, the
dictatorship refused to engage in any meaningful dialogue.
10 11

The dictatorship began using members of the Union Solidarity and
Development Association (USDA) to harass and attack NLD meetings.
This political militia was set up and organised by the military, with
Than Shwe, dictator of Burma, as its President. It later transformed as
the Union Solidarity and Development Party, the political party front
for the military in the elections held on 7th November 2010.
On 30 th May 2003, members of the USDA attacked a convoy of
vehicles Aung San Suu Kyi was travelling in. It was an attempt by the
dictatorship to assassinate Aung San Suu Kyi, using a civilian front so
as not to take the blame. Aung San Suu Kyi’s driver managed to drive
her to safety, but more than 70 of Aung San Suu Kyi’s supporters were
beaten to death. The attack became known at the Depayin Massacre.
The dictatorship claimed it was a riot between two political groups,
incited by the NLD. The United Nations General Assembly called for
the incident to be investigated, but it never was. Following the attack,
Aung San Suu Kyi was held in detention, and then placed back under
house arrest.
In May 2009, just days before her period of house arrest was due to
expire, Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested and charged with breaking the
terms of her house arrest, which forbids visitors, after John Yettaw, a
United States citizen, swam across Inya lake and refused to leave her
house. In August 2009 she was convicted, and sentenced to three years
imprisonment. In an apparent attempt to placate international outrage
about the trial, the sentence was reduced to 18 months under house
arrest. By coincidence, this meant her release date turned out to be
just 6 days after elections to be held in Burma, thereby ensuring that
once again she was in detention during elections. On 13 th November
2010, the day her sentence was due to expire, and six days after rigged
elections, Aung San Suu Kyi was released again.
Aung San Suu Kyi has won numerous international awards, including
the Nobel Peace Prize, the Sakharov Prize from the European
Parliament and the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom. She
has called on people around the world to join the struggle for freedom
in Burma, saying “Please use your liberty to promote ours.”
ETHNIC ISSUES
The failure to address the concerns of Burma’s ethnic groups lies at
the heart of Burma’s problems. Burma’s ethnic minorities have been
struggling for ethnic and political rights for decades as successive
dictators in Burma have pursued a policy of ‘Burmanisation’, which
ranges from repressing the teaching of ethnic history, language and
culture, to military attacks against civilians.
Lack of a reliable census makes it impossible to more than roughly
estimate the composition of Burma’s ethnic populations today or its
total population. It is estimated ethnic people constitute 30-40 percent
of Burma’s population of 54-59 million people. Most of Burma’s ethnic
minorities inhabit areas along the country’s mountainous frontiers.
Karen and Shan groups comprise about 10% each, while Akha, Chin,
Chinese, Danu, Indian, Kachin, Karenni, Kayan, Kokang, Lahu, Mon,
Naga, Palaung, Pao, Rakhine, Rohingya, Tavoyan, and Wa peoples
each constitute smaller percentages of the population.
The principal demands of Burma’s ethnic minorities are to gain
genuine autonomy for their home areas and to achieve a significant
voice in the affairs of the country as a whole. Most want a federal
system of government, and are not fighting for independence.
In the 1960s the Burmese Army began what is known as the ‘Four
Cuts’ policy to cut off supplies and support to ethnic armed groups.
This involved cutting off supplies such as food, funds, new recruits
and intelligence. What this meant in practice was the deliberate
targeting of civilian villages by the Burmese Army. This is classified
as war crimes by the Geneva Conventions. Abuses committed by the
Burmese Army, and documented by the United Nations and local
communities, include the use of millions of people as slave labour,
rape and gang-rape, even against young children, torture, mutilations,
crucifixions, executions, burning of villages, confiscation of land,
mortar bombing schools, recruitment of child soldiers and looting.
The abuses have forced millions of people to flee Burma. Possibly 10
percent of the population of Burma have fled human rights abuses
and poverty in the country. The regime’s new constitution, which
came into force after the fake elections in November 2010, not only
guarantees continued dictatorship, but also denies any ethnic rights.
It does not grant ethnic people any real level of autonomy, or grant
any protection or promotion of ethnic cultures. There cannot be
democracy or lasting peace and stability in Burma if the rights of
ethnic people continue to be ignored.
UPRISING IN 2007
September 2007 saw the biggest demonstrations in Burma since
the 1988 uprising. Tens of thousands of monks led massive
demonstrations in towns and cities across Burma. Thousands of
Burmese civilians from all walks of life joined the protests to call
for an end to military rule. The protests started on 19 August after
the regime raised fuel prices, without warning, by up to 500% on 15
August. The demonstrations that followed were led by prominent
leaders of the 1988 uprising. The regime began a brutal crackdown on
the peaceful demonstrators, arresting hundreds of people, including
many of the protest leaders. Activists were forced into hiding as the
regime launched a manhunt against the organisers. However, despite
the regime’s continued campaign of intimidation, harassment and
arrests, protests continued and took on a new momentum when
Buddhist monks joined the demonstrations.
On 22 September a crowd of 2,000 monks and civilians walked past
a roadblock and gathered outside Aung San Suu Kyi’s house. Aung
San Suu Kyi left her house to greet and pray with Buddhist monks
outside her gate. This was the first time she had been seen in public
since 2003. The rally was a strong and clear display of unity between
the monks and the pro-democracy movement. By 24 September
over 100,000 monks and ordinary citizens were marching in
Rangoon and demonstrations were taking place in every state and
division in Burma. Despite some of the strictest media censorship in
the world, Burmese activists were able to post pictures and videos of
the demonstrations on websites and blogs, ensuring that images of the
protests were seen worldwide. The regime resorted to shutting off the
country’s internet connection in an attempt to stop the flow of news
and pictures getting out.
On 26 September the regime began a massive crackdown against
demonstrators. Soldiers carried out dawn raids on monasteries. Monks
were forcibly disrobed, severely beaten, kicked, and taken away by the
security forces. During a raid in monasteries in Myitkyina, Kachin
State, SPDC security forces reportedly beat four monks to death.
52 monasteries were raided during the crackdown, and over 6000
people were arrested.
NARGIS
Burma experienced another tragedy within months, when Cyclone
Nargis struck Burma. No flood or storm defences had been built in
the Irrawaddy Delta of Burma despite its vulnerability. Nor was a
proper warning given about the cyclone on its way. But the regime
did know what was coming, the cyclone had formed offshore days
before, monitored by weather agencies, and the Indian government
was so concerned at the regime’s lack of preparation that they directly
informed them about the cyclone. To ignore warnings and fail to
warn the population of the coming cyclone, or give any advice on
how to prepare for when it hit is bad enough, but what followed was
even more shocking, though sadly not surprising. As news began to
trickle out about the scale of the disaster, the United Nations and aid
agencies began to mobilise to help, only to be told by the regime that
they were not welcome.
The amazing resilience of the people of Burma shone through once
again. As the regime continued to refuse shipments of aid, Burmese
people in Rangoon packed cars and vans with supplies and drove
to the delta to help people. They returned with horrific stories of
death and devastation, of whole villages empty, or where all the
children were gone, having been swept from their parents’ arms by
the force of the wind. Bodies were everywhere, rotting in fields and
villages. People had little or no food or clean water. No shelter, and
no medicine. The regime’s response was to send the army to the delta,
not to help people, but to set up roadblocks to stop people going in to
deliver aid, and to stop survivors escaping.
A month after the devastating cyclone in Burma, an estimated 2.4
million people remained in urgent need of aid because the regime
denied aid workers free access to operate in the areas most severely
affected by the cyclone. Even those who were getting aid were not
receiving the full package of aid. While we will probably never know
how many people were killed, official estimates are 140,000 dead or
missing, but some unofficial estimates are as high as 300,000.
ELECTIONS AGAIN
In the midst of the aftermath of the Cyclone, Burma’s generals went
ahead with a referendum on a new constitution they had drafted, one
designed to legalise dictatorship. Elections followed in November
2010, but they were not free and fair, ballot boxes were stuffed with
pre-cast votes for the pro-military party, and Aung San Suu Kyi’s
National League for Democracy was not able to take part. A 25
percent allocation for the military in Parliament combined with
rigged elections to ensure the pro-military party won, ensures the
military still controls Parliament, but in any case, the Parliament
can be overruled by the Military. Thein Sein, an ex general, became
President in March 2011. The military still effectively rule, but
through a civilian face. Despite this tumultuous history, with
such sadness and suffering, the people of Burma have shown
remarkable resilience.
12 13

INDIA
BANGLADESH
CHINA
EAST BURMA
Inle Lake • Shan State
LAOS
Bay of
Bengal
THAILAND

Inle Lake, Shan Hills
Inle Lake, a freshwater lake located in the Shan Hills, is one of the
most picturesque spots in Southeast Asia. It. is the second largest
lake in Burma with an estimated surface area of 116km, and one of
the highest, at an altitude of 880m 1,328m above sea level. It is 22 km
long and is the home of a number of endemic species. More than 100
monasteries and several hundred pagodas are nestled among the hills
surrounding the lake.
The 70,000 people of Inle Lake are called Intha and they live in four
cities bordering the lake, in numerous small villages along the lake’s
shores, and on the lake itself. The population consists predominantly
by the Intha, also called People of the Lake, mixed with settlements of
Shan and many other tribes. Everyone wears headgear specific to their
community. Most are devout Buddhists, and live in simple houses of
wood and woven bamboo on stilts, simply and contentedly and with a
deep respect for their culture. The lifestyle of the Intha race is unique;
they live in houses built on the water, using skiffs as transportation
that they row with one leg while balanced on the stern with the other.
Their distinctive rowing style which involves standing at the stern
on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar (leg-rowing
Intha people) make them unique. This style evolved for the reason
that the lake is covered by reeds and floating plants, which made it
difficult to see above them while sitting, while standing provides the
rower with a view beyond the reeds. However, the leg rowing style is
only practiced by the men. Women row in the customary style, using
the oar with their hands, sitting cross legged at the stern, while the
children now how to row safely on the lake unsupervised by adults, as
they must daily go to school by boat and they know very well how to
swim. Most transportation on the lake is traditionally by small boats,
or by somewhat larger boats fitted with outboard motors.
In addition to fishing, locals grow vegetables and fruit in large gardens
that float on the surface of the lake. The floating garden beds are formed
by extensive manual labor. The farmers gather up lake-bottom weeds
from the deeper parts of the lake, bring them back in boats and make
them into floating beds in their garden areas, anchored by bamboo
poles. These gardens rise and fall with changes in the water level,
and so are resistant to flooding. The constant availability of nutrientladen
water results in these gardens being very fertile. Maybe it is
the sweetness of the lake waters that make these vegetables are truly
delicious. Rice cultivation is also significant.
The Inle lake area is renowned for its weaving industry. The Shanbags,
used daily by many Burmese as a tote-bag, are produced in large
quantities here. Silk-weaving is another very important industry,
producing high-quality hand-woven silk fabrics of distinctive design
called Inle longyi. A unique fabric from the lotus plant fibers is
produced only here and is used for weaving special robes for Buddha
images called kya thingahn (lotus robe).
The Shan States’ tribal market, which rotates every 5 days from one
village to the other, is a fascinating hodgepodge of bright flowers,
flopping fish and exotic hill tribe groups. There the farmers bring
their produce and the fishermen bring their catch from the lake, such
as carp, snakehead, feather back and catfish, as well as market stalls
selling food and household items.In these colorful unique markets,
one can see representatives of all the tribes living in the lake, like
people from the Po O race, who wear black long-sleeved costumes
and colourful turbans, or the Kayan Padaung tribe Women that
start wearing their neck and leg rings when they are five years old,
beginning with five neck rings. More are added when they reach
puberty, when they marry, and when their family prospers. Although
it makes them none too mobile, it is a great cultural prestige that they
feel honoured to uphold.
The Phaung Daw U Pagoda is their pride. This pagoda is one of the
most famous pilgrimage sites for the Buddhists. The pagoda houses
five small gilded images of Buddha, which have been covered in gold
leaf to the point that their original forms cannot be seen. Although
the monastery is open to all for veneration, only men are permitted to
place gold leaf on the images. Another part of the ritual for pilgrims
is to place a small robe or thingan around the images, and to take the
robe back to their houses and place it on their own altar as a token of
respect for the Buddha and his teachings.
Phaung Daw U Pagoda Annual Festival: Annually, during the
Burmese month of Thadingyut (from September to October), an
18-day festival is held, during which four of the Buddha images are
placed on a replica of a royal barge designed as a hintha bird and
taken throughout Inle Lake. One image always remains at the temple.
The elaborately decorated barge is towed by several boats of legrowers
rowing in unison, and other accompanying boats, making an
impressive procession on the water. Regattas from each village team
race each other and the competition is fierce, as to win the trophy
brings great honour to their village. The barge is towed from village
to village along the shores of the lake in clockwise fashion, and the
four images reside at the main monastery in each village for the night.
The high point of the festival is on the day when the images arrive
at the main town of Nyaung Shwe, where most pilgrims from the
surrounding region come to pay their respects and veneration.
16

Inle Lake at dusk 19

Leg-rowing Intha fishermen at work 21

A rainbow appears above Inle lake - to the Burmese rainbows are good omens 23

25

26

28
Living on the water

Houses made of teak wood, built on the water 31

Children rowing on the lake, going to school 33

34
Intha fisherman using his conical basket to catch fish

Daily transportation, Nyaung Shwe town, north of Inle lake 37

38
Waiting for the royal barge, Phaung Daw U Festival

40
Lorem Phaung Ipsum Daw U Pagoda, annual festival

Phaung Daw U Pagoda Festival 43

44 Lorem Ywama Ipsum Village, Inle Lake
The Royal barge, Phaung Daw U Pagoda Festival 45

Regattas racing, Phaung Daw U Pagoda Festival 47

Phaung Daw U Pagoda Festival Gold Barge (Hintha bird) 49

Children selling wooden toys, entrance to In Dein Monastery 51

Ancient Pagodas close to In Dein Monastery 53

54
Kayan Padaung tribe long neck women, Ywama Village, Inle Lake

56
Selling fish, Shan State rotating tribal market, Inle lake

58
Po O tribe woman, Shan States rotating market

60
Daily life, Inle Lake village market

Women smoking cheroot (Burmese traditional cigars) 63

64
Pa-O race mothers with their traditional garbs, rotating market, Inle lake village

66
Women from various Shan State tribes at the market

68

71

72
Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Nyaung Shwe

74
Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Nyaung Shwe town (built 17th c.)

Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, made of teak wood 77

Novice monks praying inside Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery 79

Novice Monks resting, Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery 81

82 Dormitory, Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery

INDIA
BANGLADESH
CHINA
WEST BURMA
RAKHINE STATE (Arakan)
Sittwe • Mrauk U • Ngapali
LAOS
Bay of
Bengal
THAILAND

Rakhine State (Arakan)
Along the Bay of Bengal, in the North West corner of Burma lie the splendid capital
cities of ancient Arakan, full of immense temples built of stone. The Rakhine culture
has flourished for over two thousand years and the strongly carved faces of the Buddha
images are heritages of the Rakhine people’s pride in their culture.
In the 2 nd c. AD, Ptolemy knew Arakan and mentioned it in his Geography. He named as
Argyre (the Land of Silver) and was visited by merchants from southern India. With a capacity
to produce 3 crops of paddy rice per year, it was very rich having also a lot of gold. Arakan
was from then a cosmopolitan State with a vigorous and complex culture. Indian Brahmins
and Buddhist monks spread their teaching, traders came by land and sea, and artists and
architects used Indian and S.E. Asian models for inspiration. Arakan came into contact with
other remote countries, including Sri Lanka, Nepal, Tibet and China.
The art and architecture tell the story of the development of religious ideas and beliefs.
Buddhist traditions are the most important in the formation of Arakan’s culture. It was
a State between two cultures – Indian influence from Bengal but also from the Buddhist
centers visited by monks and pilgrims, especially from Nalanda in north India. It was a fine
time, with the kings hiring Japanese samurais as bodyguards and the naval fleet of 10,000
boats terrorizing neighboring countries from the Bay of Bengal.
SITTWE (Akyab)
Sittwe is the capital of Rakhine State and is located on the northern coast, near Bangladesh,
on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers,
emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Kaladan river forms also the international border between
India and Burma. The waterfront location is striking and the town has about 200,000
inhabitants. Originally a small fishing village, Sittwe became an important seat of maritime
commerce, especially as a port for the export of rice after the British occupation of Arakan,
now known as Rakhine State. The British adopted the name Akyab for the place. Today it is
used as a hub for visiting the temples of Mrauk U.
The name Sittwe means “The place where the war meets”. When the Burmese King
Bodawpaya invaded the Mrauk-U Kingdom in 1784, the Rakhine defenders encountered the
Burmese force at the mouth of Kalandan River. In the ensuing battle, which was waged on
both land and water, the Mrauk-U forces were defeated and all of the Arakanese defenders
were killed. This defeat opened the route towards the inland Arakanese capital of Mrauk U,
which was soon conquered, ending their independence.
The largest ethnic group in Sittwe is the Rakhine people. Alongside, there are some Burmese
and descendants of mainly Bengali immigrants during British rule. Approximately 60% of
the city’s populace practices Theravada Buddhism. There is also a large Muslim population,
roughly at 40%, and the central Jama Mosque is an impressive religious site in town. Sittwe is
home to some of the most sacred Buddhist pagodas, some believed to have built in the days
of Emperor Asaoka (r.269-232 BC). Sittwe’s greatest attraction is the morning colorful fish
market, which starts around 6am on the Kaladan River bank. The fishermen bring their daily
catch and the people are entering into the sea to unload them and sell them fresh.
86

88
Living with the tides, Sittwe riverside

90
Kaladan River, early morning fishmarket, Sittwe

Fishermen unloading their daily catch, Sittwe port 93

Open Central market, Sittwe 95

Dried fish, Central market, Sittwe 97

99

Early morning fish market, Sittwe 101

City Center, Sittwe 103

104
Phaya Gyi
Pagoda, Entrance

Dormitory, Phaya Gyi Pagoda & Monastery, Sittwe 107

Inside U Ye Kyaw Thu Monastery, Sittwe 109

Sunsetting over the Bay of Bengal 111

Mrauk U & Chin State
The magnificent, but little-known, Buddhist ruins at Mrauk U
are like a smaller Bagan, but more alive, surrounded by forests
and accessible only by river and to reach there you need 60 km
slow boat flow on the Kaladan River from the seashores of Sittwe.
It is located in the remote Rakhine State (Arakan) not far from
Bangladesh. It is a lovely country with mountains dotted with
townships, villages and beautiful fields. The eye fell on more than
150 pagodas which make the view more enchanting.
It was one of the most spectacular royal cities and flourished
between the15 th and the 18 th centuries. It drew its wealth from
the coastal trade with its neighboring countries, Bengal, Burma
and beyond. From the early centuries, Kings who adopted Indian
titles and traditions were ruling. The earliest inhabitants were
some minority groups the Chin, the Mro and the Sak. Mrauk
U served as the Rakhaing capital from 1430 to 1784, when the
British relocated it to Sittwe. It was annexed to India by the British
in 1826.
Mrauk U Temples might have been employed as a refuge for the
Buddhist religious order in time of war.
Shite Thaung Temple was built in 1535. The name means “Temple
with 80,000 Buddha images”. It has several passage ways, with
galleries throughout the inner temple. Full with status of Buddha,
as well as images of the animals or persons, which Gautama
Buddha occupied in his 550 previous lives. People are shown
wrestling, boxing and dancing.
Andaw-Thein is a temple in the NW corner of the Shite Thaung
Temple and was built in 1515-1521 by King Sajata. The name
means “Tooth shrine” and contains a tooth relic of the Buddha
coming from Sri Lanka.
Htukkanthein Temple: The name means “Cross-Beam Orientation
hall”. Like most of Mrauk U’s temples it is designed as a dual
purpose “fortress-temple” and has a single entrance and small
windows. It was built of stone by King Min Hpalaung in the
mid 16 th c (1571). A spiralling corridor in the dark interior is lined
with figures in relief showing the life-style of the contemporary
period, among which are shown 64 different ways of coiling
a chignon.
Koe-thaung Temple is the largest in Mrauk U. The name means
“Temple of 90,000 Buddha Images”. King Min Theikha began
construction in 1553, but he was assassinated before the pagoda
was finished. The ruins were discovered only during the 1980’s,
covered with weeds. Measuring 230 feet by 250 feet, it is the
biggest monument in Mrauk U.
Nan-oo Image Shrine, the goddess of the continent, west of Mount
Meru, guards the people in the western part of the country. These
people have faces shaped like the full moon. The image illustrates a
local version of Buddhist cosmology. They represent all nationalities
in Rankhine State, while inside has the figures of the King and
the Queen.
Chin State is located at the western part of the country, bordering
with India, and is home of one of the National races of Burma.
The river flowing through Chin State is Lemro, that flows into the
Indian Ocean east of Sittwe. Between the 11 th and 15 th centuries,
small walled settlements were built by the Arakanese people
along the river bank. For generations, the village women of this
province have tattooed their faces, as a symbol of strength and
beauty, but this tradition is dying out, as a result of globalization.
Luckily, I was able to capture the beauty of some Chin ladies with
tattooed faces, before there aren’t any left.
According to Chin elders, the practice of tattooing women’s
faces started a long time ago, to prevent women from being
taken away by the Burmese kings. They would come to villages
across the province and just pick out the girls they wanted to take
away with them. With no other means to defend themselves, the
village elders, who were also women, began tattooing the girls’
faces, thus taking away their beauty. A full-face tattoo is very
painful and was usually done to young girls, aged between 11
and 15. The ink used comes from a special plant that some tribes
mix with buffalo kidney, and is hammered into the skin with
an instrument much like a sturdy pine needle. Although it started
out as a way of making women less appealing, face-tattooing
gradually evolved into a symbol of feminine beauty and toughness.
Women of certain tribes get different tattoos, and even though
they might not look too appealing to us, they’re appreciated in
their tribal societies.
112

114
Escorting flight by seagulls, Kaladan river, on the way to Mrauk U

Traditional sailing boats, Kaladan river 117

Kaladan river 119

120 Bamboo poles tied into rafts, Kaladan river
Mrauk U village dock 121

Early morning fishing, Kaladan river 123

Children extracting sand, Lemro river 125

Tattooed women, Chin village 127

Tattooed Chin women 129

Villagers carrying their daily water, Mrauk U 131

132
Watering the fields, Mrauk U

134
Returning from the fields, Mrauk U

136
Koe-thaung Temple (Temple of 90,000 Buddha Images), built in 1553

Htukkan Thein Temple (built 1571) & Shite Thaung Temple (built 1535 ) 139

140
Shite Thaung Temple details (Temple with 80,000 Buddha images)
Inner passages with stone guardians and images of Buddha’s 550 previous lives 141

Andaw-Thein Temple or “The Tooth Shrine” (built 1515) 143

The monk and the parot, Andaw-Thein Temple 145

146 Temple door guardians
Nan-oo Image shrine, illustrating Buddhist cosmology 147

148
Daily life, village on the river banks, Mrauk U

Fetching clean water, Mrauk U 151

Preparing the daily meal, Mrauk U village 153

154
Handmade cradle, Mrauk U village

A baby in a basket, Mrauk U village 157

158
Mrauk U children

Inside a house, River village, Mrauk U 161

Thanaka makeup paste, made from thanaka tree ground bark, is used all over
Burma by women and children to keep the complexion clear and to protect from the sun 163

Mrauk U village 165

Selling fresh fish, Mrauk U open market 167

Selling fruit, beetles, honey and betel leaves, Mrauk U open market 169

170
Dock at sunset, Mrauk U

Ngapali & Thandwe
On the Bay of Bengal, 7 km away from Thandwe town, in
the Rakhine State, is the white sanded beach of Ngapali.
It is the most famous beach in Myanmar and stretches for
3km overlooking the Indian Ocean. The name comes from
the Italian “Napoli” (The city of Naples). The beach has soft
white sand fringed by coconut palms, crystal blue water and
the town serves up some of the country’s best food. It is said
that in the village of Lontha Rudyard Kipling wrote his first
draft of the Jungle Book from a small house around there,
and that why the bay is sometimes called “Kipling’s Bay”.
It is home to the fisher folk who live in peaceful villages
shaded with swaying palms. They go about their lives with
dignity, friendly towards the visitors, but leaving them to their
privacy. Women workers lay fish out to dry in the sun along
the beach every morning, while they gather them up dried
before sunset. There are 300 fishing boats in the six charming
villages that line Ngapali beach. Ox carts are used by the
fishermen as they find the sand-ways a smoother ride than
the rough one-lane road. Village life is largely unchanged.
Thandwe (also called Sandoway), is a town and major
seaport in Rakhine State, the westernmost part of Myanmar.
Thandwe is very ancient, and is said to have been at one time
the capital of Rakhine State, then called Arakan. The district
has an area of 9,800 km 2 . The country is mountainous, the
Arakan Mountains sending out spurs which reach the coast.
The streams are only mountain torrents to within a few miles
of the coast; the mouth of the Khwa forms a good anchorage
for vessels. The rocks in the Arakan Range and its spurs
are metamorphic, and comprise clay, slates, ironstone and
indurated sandstone; towards the south, ironstone, trap and
rocks of basaltic character are common; veins of steatite and
white fibrous quartz are also found. Except a few acres of
tobacco, all the cultivation is rice.
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Ngapali beach 175

Early morning, Ngapali fishing village 177

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Ox carts carrying fish

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Daily catch, Ngapali fishing village

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Laying out fish to dry in the sun, Ngapali village

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Children playing with fishing nets 189

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Marks on the sand, made by very small crabs

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Late afternoon, gathering up the dried fish

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Fishermen repairing their boats 199

Fishing boats, Ngapali 201

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Young girl helping children with their homework, Ngapali fishing village

INDIA
BANGLADESH
CHINA
UPPER BURMA
Mt. Popa • Bagan• Mandalay • Irrawaddy River • Maymyo
LAOS
Bay of
Bengal
THAILAND

Mount Popa & Taung Kalat Shrine
Mount Popa is known as an extinct volcano. The mountain stands
737m above the plain, 518m above sea level and is located in central
Burma, about 50 km southeast of Bagan. Many legends are associated with
this mountain, including its dubious creation from a great earthquake,
when the mountain erupted out of the ground in 442 B.C. From the top,
one can enjoy a panoramic view and can see the ancient city of Bagan and
the massive solitary conical peak of Taung Ma-gyi that rises like Mount Fuji
in Japan. The surrounding areas are arid, but the Mount Popa area has over
200 springs and streams. It is therefore likened to an oasis in the desertlike
dry central zone of Burma. This means the surrounding landscape is
characterized by prickly bushes and stunted trees, as opposed to the lush
forests and rivers Burma is famous for. Plenty of trees, flowering plants and
herbs grow due to the fertile soil from the volcanic ash. Prominent among
the fauna are the Macaque monkeys that have become a tourist attraction
for the people that visit the Shrine.
Mount Popa is perhaps best known for the nearby stunningly picturesque
Popa Taung Kalat Monastery at the top of the mountain. Every piece of the
temple had to be carried up the mountain by hand. The Taung Kalat pedestal
hill is sometimes itself called Mount Popa, and a stairway of 777 steps leads
to it. The Shrine is considered the abode of Burma’s most powerful Nats or
spirits and as such it is the most important Nat worship center of the country
and has therefore been called “Burma’s Mount Olympus”. Although it has
long been revered as the home of the most powerful spirits, the Taung Kalat
temple complex is Buddhist, reflecting a thorough integration of the Burmese
animism into the Buddhist system. All 37 Nats of the official pantheon are
represented here and many Burmese pilgrims are visiting every year.
Spirits – known as Nats in Burma– are Guardians and they never vanished.
Beliefs held before the earliest cities were built, were incorporated into
introduced religions. Some remain much as they always have, dwelling in
trees and on the hills and guarding particular fields and villages. Throughout
the traditional histories there are accounts of the deeds of the spirits who
protected the shrines, the cities and the country. People, given as slaves to
a pagoda, continue to guard it as ghosts. The Burmese respect them for
good health, business, farm production and protection in general. Many
different exists all over the country. Before they were physical persons killed
by someone (normally by the King) and then, by their spirit power, showed
some miracle. Burmese superstition says that here one should not wear red,
black or green and should also not bring meat, especially pork, as it could
offend the resident Nats.
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Nats (Spirit Guardians), Popa Taung Kalat 211

Macaque monkeys, Mount Popa 213

Bagan (Pagan)
Myanmar’s equivalent of Angkor Wat of Cambodia, Bagan is one of the world’s most
splendid archeological sites. During a 230-year period starting in 1057, more than
13,000 religious structures were built on the 40 km 2 of this flat plain on the banks of the
Irrawaddy River. Marco Polo once described Bagan as a “gilded city alive with tinkling bells
and the swishing sounds of monks’ robes”. He also named it “The Golden Land”. While Kublai
Khan and several massive earthquakes reduced that number drastically, what remains is
incredible. By the last official count in 1978, there were 2,230 remaining structures. If you
include the remaining brick mounds and foundations of other structures, the number tops
4,000. After a destructive earthquake in 1975, several major restoration projects, including
joint projects with UNESCO, have been undertaken. Despite the majesty and importance
of Bagan, UNESCO has failed to include it on its World Heritage Site; because it says some
temples were rebuilt in an un-historic way. Nonetheless, the site is arguably as impressive as
the Pyramids of Egypt, a dry, vast open landscape dominated entirely by votive architecture.
The area around Bagan has been inhabited since the 8 th century but it did not come into glory
until the reign of Anawrahta (1044-1077). That made Bagan the capital of the First Burmese
Empire, transforming it into a religious and cultural centre. With the help of a monk from
Lower Burma, Great King Anawrahta made Theravada Buddhism a kind of State religion,
and he also established contacts with Sri Lanka. In the 12 th and 13 th centuries, Bagan became
a truly cosmopolitan centre of Buddhist studies, attracting monks and students from as far as
India and Sri Lanka, as well as the Thai and Khmer Kingdoms. In 1287, the Kingdom fell to
the Mongols, after refusing to pay tribute to Kublai Khan. Abandoned by the Burmese King
and sacked by the Mongols, the city declined as a political centre, but continued to flourish
as a place of Buddhist scholarship.
Ananda Temple also called “The Westminster Abbey of Burma” is a Buddhist temple built in
1105, as a merit of King Kyansittha who reigned in Bagan from 1084-1112. It is one of the
four surviving temples in Bagan. The temple’s layout is in a cruciform with several terraces
leading to a small pagoda at the top and it houses four huge standing Buddhas, each one
facing the cardinal direction of East, North, West and South. The four Buddhas placed in the
sanctum, called the “Buddha of the modern age”, give an indication of Buddha’s “sense of the
omnipresence through space and time”. The temple is said to be an architectural wonder and is
a fusion of Mon and adopted Indian style of architecture. It was damaged in the earthquake of
1975 and has been restored. It has been built with bricks and plaster depicting iconographic
images in stones and plaques (terra-cotta glazed tiles) with the main purpose of educating
the people of the region in the religious ethos of Theravada Buddhism.
Shwezigon Pagoda was built as the most important reliquary shrine in Bagan, a centre of
prayer and reflection for the new Theravada faith that King Anawarahta had established in
Bagan and was completed in 1102 AD, to enshrine a bone and tooth of Gautama Buddha.
The pagoda’s graceful bell shape became a prototype for virtually all later pagodas all over
Burma. The gold-leaf gilded pagoda, sits on three rising terraces. At the cardinal points,
facing the terrace stairways, are four shrines, each of which houses a four-meter-high bronze
standing Buddha. These bronze Buddha images are known to be the last survived images of
the ancient time. In addition to ranking as one of the oldest pagodas, Shwezigon is known
as the site where the 37 pre-Buddhist Nats (the spirits) were first officially endorsed by the
Kings of Burma.
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Buddhist pagodas & temples, across the plains of Bagan
Phammayangyl & Sulamani temples 217

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Horse cart
Ananda temple (built 1105) 219

Standing Buddhas (10m height), facing the 4 cardinal directions, Ananda temple 221

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The most important
Shrine in Bagan,
Shwezigon Pagoda (built 1102)

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Selling watermelon in the courtyard of Shwezigon Pagoda

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Villagers enjoying their cheroots

Local transportation, Bagan village 229

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Inside a house, Bagan village

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Hanging bird nests, village close to mount Popa

Collecting coconuts 235

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Village life

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Carrying clean water

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Village festival parade, Bagan

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Lunch time, village festival, Bagan
The baby and the beetle 245

Animals made from Papier-mache, village festival 247

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Fish Market

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Local people, Bagan village open market

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Rice Market

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Craftsmen working with silver, lacquer and tissue thin gold foil

Puppet show, Bagan 257

Mandalay
Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of
Burma. Located 716km north of Yangon, on the east bank
of the Irrawaddy River, has a population of over two million and
is the capital of Mandalay Region. Mandalay is Burma’s cultural
and religious centre of Buddhism, having numerous monasteries
and more than 700 pagodas. It is the economic hub of Upper Burma
and is considered the centre of Burmese culture. A continuing
influx of Chinese immigrants, mostly from Yunnan Province, in
the past twenty years, has reshaped the city’s ethnic makeup and
increased its economic dynamism. The city gets its name from the
nearby Mandalay Hill. The name is likely a derivative of a Pali word
although the exact word of origin remains unclear. The root word has
been speculated as: “Mandala” (meaning, circular plains), “Mandare”
(believed to mean “auspicious land”), or “Mandara” (a mountain
from Hindu mythology). When it was founded in 1857, the Royal
City was officially named Yadanabon, the Burmese version of its Pali
name Ratanapura, which means “The City of Gems”. Rudyard Kipling’s
“The Road to Mandalay,” made the name of the last capital of Burma
Kings familiar even to those who had never heard of Burma.
Like most former capitals, Mandalay was founded on the wishes of
the ruler of the day. On 13 February 1857, King Mindon founded a
new royal capital at the foot of Mandalay Hill, ostensibly to fulfill a
prophecy on the founding of a metropolis of Buddhism in that exact
place, on the occasion of the 2400th jubilee of Buddhism. The new
capital city site was 66km² in area, surrounded by four rivers. The
plan called for a 144-square block grid patterned citadel, at the center
by Mandalay Hill. In addition, the King also commissioned the
Kuthodaw Pagoda, the Pahtan-haw Shwe Thein, higher ordination
hall, the Thudhamma Zayats, or public houses for preaching the
Doctrine and the library for the Buddhist scriptures.
In June 1857, the former royal palace of Amarapura was dismantled
and moved by elephants to the new location at the foot of Mandalay
Hill, although construction of the palace compound was officially
completed only two years later, on Monday, 23 May 1859. For the
next 26 years, Mandalay was to be the last Royal capital of the last
independent Burmese Kingdom, before its final annexation by the
British. Mandalay ceased to be the capital on 28 November 1885,
when the conquering British sent King Thibaw and his queen Supayalat
to exile, ending the Third Anglo-Burmese War. While Mandalay
would continue to be the chief city of Upper Burma during the British
colonial rule, the commercial and political importance had irreversibly
shifted to Yangon.
After the country gained independence from Britain in 1948, Mandalay
continued to be the main cultural, educational and economic hub of
Upper Burma. The urban sprawl now encompasses Amarapura, the
very city King Mindon left some 150 years ago. The Irrawaddy River
remains an important arterial route for transporting goods such as
farm produce including rice, beans and pulses, cooking oil, pottery,
bamboo and teak. There are several ancient capitals around Mandalay,
such as Amarapura, Sagaing, Ava, and Mingun where Kongboung
dynasty kings used to rule respectively.
Shwenandaw Kyaung Monastery: A former royal residence, the
Shwenandaw Kyaung Monastery, is noted for its fine teak carvings.
Of particular note are the 10 inner panels that depict portions of
Buddha’s life. The outside of the pagoda was once covered in intricate
glass mosaics and was gold plated; however, only the gold layer on
the high ceiling remains today. This monastery is a fragile reminder
of the old Mandalay Palace. Actually, it was a part of the old palace,
which was later moved to its current site by King Thibaw in 1880.
Kyauktawgyi Pagoda: Near the southern approach to Mandalay
Hill stands the Kyauktawgyi Buddha Image built by King Mindon
in 1853–78. The Image was carved out of a huge single block of
marble. Statues of 80 Arahants (the Great Disciples of the Buddha)
are assembled around the Image, 20 on each side. The carving of the
Image was completed in 1865.
At the foot of Mandalay Hill, sits the world’s official “Buddhist Bible”,
also known as the “World’s largest book”, in Kuthodaw Pagoda or
Young U, build by King Minton in 1857. There are 729 slabs of stone
that together are inscribed with the entire Buddhist canon, as edited
and approved by the 5 th Buddhist Synod, each housed in its own
white stupa.
The Mahamuni Pagoda: Mahamuni Image (3.8m high) is one of
the most venerated golden-seated Buddha Image of Burma, and the
Burmese believe is one of only five exact likenesses made during the
Buddha’s life. The image is covered in more than 15 cm of gold leaf,
revered as the holiest pagoda in Mandalay and also considered as the
greatest, next to Shwedagon in Yangon. It was brought to Mandalay
from Rakhine State in 1784. The early morning ritual of washing the
Face of the Buddha image draws a large crowd of devotees
every day.
Amarapura (City of Eternity) and ex-capital, is famous for its
ancient sights and for the U-Bein Bridge, the world’s longest
teak bridge (1.2 km). The bridge was built by U-Bein, in the
mid of 19th century, who was the lord of the villages on the
other side of Taungthaman Lake, using the unwanted teak
columns from the old palace, during the move to Mandalay. It
still serves as the most important communication link for the
people of the villages around the lake. The view of sunset from
and around the bridge is perhaps the most beautiful scene
around Mandalay. There are now 1086 posts and 482 spans.
Mandalay is best known not only for its rich traditional,
cultural and spiritual splendor, but also exquisite handicraft
such as hand-woven embroidery in silk and cotton, the
incredible process of making gold leaves, wood and stone
carving and bronze casting. The techniques are handed down
for generations and the artisans create their products in
much the same way that their forefathers did hundreds of
years ago.
The marionette stage used to be very important in the 18 th
century, as these wooden dolls enjoyed many privileges
denied to human performers, such as telling things to the
King that more mortals dared not utter. Now they remain
popular with the public. Once, in days before newspapers,
marionette played a role in entertaining farmers, also giving
them news of the capital city. The Mandalay artisans still make
the best ones.
Making tissue thin gold foil is a flourishing trade in Mandalay.
Flat pieces of gold are placed between many pieces of slick
bamboo paper and the whole stack wrapped in deerskin,
which the men pound with heavy mallets. They must pound
for at least 8 hours to complete one batch, traditionally using
a water clock to time their work. The girls, with the lightest
touch of their fingers, cut the gold foil into smaller squares after
each bout from the hammer and repack them for additional
work by the men. They use horn or ivory cutters. Finally when
the gold foil is so thin that a breath might crumple it, it is cut
into squares and packed for sale.
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Novice monks, on their morning alms round

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Sunset, U-Bein Bridge

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U-Bein bridge, Amarapura

Taungthaman Lake, Amarapura 267

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Early morning, U-Bein Bridge

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Crossing U-Bein Bridge

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Shwenandaw Kyaung Monastery (built 1879)

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Shwenandaw Kyaung Monastery, former royal residence

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Maha Ganayon Monastery, Mandalay

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Kuthodaw Pagoda, “The world’s biggest book” (built 1857)

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Streets of Mandalay

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Ancient pagodas near Pale

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Snake Temple area, Pale

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Flower market near Mandalay

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Burmese traditional dances

Maymyo or Pyin U Lwin
Maymyo, is a city in the Mandalay Division of Myanmar. Once
the summer capital of the Raj in Burma, retains some of the
‘hill station’ look that cities like Darjeeling and Simla in India used
to have, in the 1960s and 1970s. Because of its history as a summer
capital and a military center of the Indian Army during British times,
it has both a large Indian population and strong Anglo-Burmese and
Anglo-Indian communities. As a town near the border of China, many
Chinese people are also settling down, in this pleasant hill town. It is
also an important market center for goods from the Shan State and
Kachin territories.
The British ‘discovered’ the city after the capture of Mandalay, at the
end of the Third Burmese War and they soon established a military
post there renaming the village to MayMyo (May Town) after the
commander of the post, Colonel May, a veteran of the Indian Mutiny.
Within a few years, after it was connected to Mandalay by rail, it became
the summer residence of the British Government in Burma.
From there one can take the train and visit The Gokteik Viaduct
Bridge which is located in Upper Burma, in the Shan state. The bridge
is between the two towns of MayMyo and Lashio, the principal town
of northern Shan State, about 50miles west of the border with China.
The Railroad Bridge is a compelling structure in the middle of the rock
cliffs and thick jungle that spans the Goktein Gorge. It was built in 1899
by the Pennsylvania Steel company. At that time, Burma was part of
India and the railroad was being constructed by the British. It was one
of only major construction contracts awarded to an American company
during British colonial rule. When it opened, it was the second largest
bridge in the world, with a height of over 100 meters and a span of 670
meters and considered a marvel of steel and US engineering. During
2 nd World War the bridge sustained damage from the Japanese who
invaded Burma and was out of service until 1954.
Crossing this bridge by train, is another unique Burma experience. The
train goes so slow, that leaves fall into the carriage through the open
windows. A trip of 40 km takes 4 hours, since it stops many times to
various stations, while in the meantime food salesmen, mainly women,
are coming and selling food to the passengers. After spending so many
hours inside the train everybody becomes a friend.
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Horse-drawn Victorian carriages, Maymyo

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Playing with bottle cups

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Tailor shop, Maymyo

Young nuns collecting their daily food 299

Morning alms round, Maymyo market 301

Flower market, Maymyo 303

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Open market, Maymyo

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Gokteik Viaduct railway bridge

Train passengers on their way to Lashio 309

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Train station, Maymyo

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Village, Northern Shan State

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Flooded street, Shan State village

The Irrawaddy River
(from Royal Mandalay to Ancient Bagan)
The Irrawaddy River or Ayeyarwady, flows from north to south through Burma. It is the
country’s largest river and most important commercial waterway. It is considered the “Mother”
of the Burmese for: it gives life to their dry fields, fresh fish and prawns to feed them, a means
of transport from north to south, and gold for the lucky ones. It is a source of continuity and
hope. The river widens as it nears Mandalay. Originating from the confluence of the N’mai and
Mali rivers, it flows relatively straight North-South before emptying through the Irrawaddy
Delta into the Andaman Sea, in the Indian Ocean. After Rudyard Kipling’s poem, it is sometimes
referred to as ‘The Road to Mandalay’.
As early as the 6 th century, ancestors of the Burmese were using the Irrawaddy river to gain
power in the region, through trade and transport on the China - India route. By the 12 th century,
a well-developed network of irrigation canals were made for flourishing rice cultivation. Later,
the River became a key economic tool of British interests, who set up trading ports along its
shores. Big quantities of rice are produced in the Irrawaddy Delta, irrigated by water from the
river. This delta’s eco-region consists of mangroves and freshwater swamp forests. It is an extremely
fertile area because of the river-borne silt deposited in the delta.
The Irrawaddy is still the country’s most important commercial waterway. Despite Mandalay’s
position as the chief rail and highway focus in northern Burma, a considerable amount of
passenger and goods traffic moves by river. More than 3,200 km of navigable waterways exist in the
Irrawaddy delta, while there is also a system of connecting canals.
Sagaing lies 21 km southwest of Mandalay, on the west bank of the Irrawaddy River. The Sagaing
Hills are noted as a religious retreat and has over 400 cloisters for monks and nuns. It is one of the
most important religious centers in Burma, with more than 600 pagodas and monasteries. It briefly
regained his position as a royal capital of Burma from 1760-1764. In 1934 the British-built a 16 span
Innwa Bridge, that connects Sagaing with Mandalay, crossing the mighty Irrawaddy River.
Mingun is a small picturesque town in Sagaing Region, northwest Burma, located 11 km up the
Irrawaddy River on the west bank from Mandalay. Its main attraction is the ruined Mingun
Pahtodawgy Temple, a monumental uncompleted stupa, began by King Bodawpaya in 1790. It
was not completed, due to an astrologer claiming that, once the temple was finished, the King
would die. The completed stupa would have been the largest in the world, at 150 meters. Huge
cracks are visible on the structure from the earthquake of 23 March 1839. The King also had
a gigantic bell cast to go with his huge stupa, the Mingun Bell, weighing 90 tons and is today
the largest ringing bell in the world. It measures 3.7 meters in height, is 5 meters wide at its mouth,
and hung from metal-plate-covered triple beams, supported by teak logs.
Hsinbyume or Myatheindan Pagoda is just a couple of hundred meters from the great stupa
and bell. It is a huge dome shaped pagoda that rises up to 46 meters. At the base of the pagoda,
there are 812 stone pillars, each one with a hollow and an image of a Nat in it. It has a distinctive
architectural style modeled after the mythical Myinmo taung or Mount Meru, built in 1816 by
Bodawpaya’s grandson and successor Bagyidaw and dedicated to the memory of his first consort
Princess Hsinbyume (Lady of the White Elephant, granddaughter of Bodawpaya, 1789–1812),
who died in childbed.
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Sunset, Irrawaddy River

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Bathing & washing, Irrawaddy River

Chidren working on a river boat 325

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Yandobo village (specializing in pottery making)

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Yandobo river village

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Returning from the fields, Yandobo river village

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Yandobo river village, Sagaing area

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Mingun town, Sagaing area

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Small shop, Sagaing village

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Hsinbyume - Myatheindan Pagoda (built 1816), Mingun

Sagaing Nunnary 345

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Sagaing Nunnary (pink, considered an ugly color, is used on nuns robes to avoid men’s attention)

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Sunset, Irrawaddy River

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INDIA
BANGLADESH
CHINA
SOUTH BURMA
Yangon • Bago • The Golden Rock
LAOS
Bay of
Bengal
THAILAND

Yangon (Rangoon)
Yangon is the main gateway to Burma and until 2006 the capital (moved by the Generals to the new
city, Naypyidaw). Evergreen and cool with lush tropical trees, shady parks, beautiful lakes and historic
streets concealing some of the best British colonial-era architecture in the region, has earned the name
of “the Garden city of the East”. The now bustling city was originally a small Mon fishing village, but
gained prominence in the 14 th cent. It is mentioned in Mon inscriptions as Lagun.
In 1757 the name of the town was changed to Yangon that means “End of Threat”. Soon after the second
Anglo Burmese war of 1852, the British anglicized Yangon to Rangoon. The present day city covers about
500 sq-km and has a population of over 5 million. The port of Yangon is about 34 km inland from the sea,
on the Hlaing River. Yangon was devastated by Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Recovery efforts have been slow.
The premier place of interest is the Shwedagon Pagoda, one of the Wonders of the World, believed
to have been built more than 2,500 years ago. Its circular platform is crowded with gilded shrines of the
most extravagant design. The Shwedagon Pagoda dominates Yangon as the holiest of holies for Burmese
and is the very heart and soul of the country. An old Mon chronicle states that the Buddha gave eight
hairs to the brothers Phussa and Bhandika who, on their return to Burma from India, enshrined the
relics in a jeweled cave beneath the pagoda. During the second half of the 15 th c. the sanctity of the site
spread and drew pilgrims from the surrounding Buddhist countries. It is covered entirely in gold leaf and
is studded with an amazing 20,912 bricks of solid gold. More than 10,000 diamonds, rubies, emeralds
and other precious stones decorate the pagoda while the gigantic 76-carat diamond graces the top.
Hundreds of images of nats (powerful national spirits), Buddha images and other religious statuary ring
this “Golden Pyramid of Fire”. At sunset the pagoda seems almost alive, glowing with the last rays of the
sun. Endless processions of worshipers come to pay their respects. The Shwedagon is the second tallest
religious structure in the country, the Shwe-maw-dow Pagoda in Pegu being highest.
Kipling, in his book “Letters from the East” wrote: “…A golden mystery up heaved itself on the horizon
–a beautiful winking wonder that blazed in the sun, of a shape that was neither Muslim dome nor Hindu
temple spire… This is Burma, and it will be quite unlike any land you know about”, while Somerset Maugham
described it as “...looking like a sudden hope in the dark night of the soul...”. Swhedagon Pagoda is said to
have more gold spread that there is in the Bank of England.
The 70 meter-long elegant Reclining Buddha image of the Chauk Htat Kyee Pagoda in Yangon, is seen
in the style of relaxing, as opposed to one of death, when the head would be on a pillow. It is housed in an
open-air shed. The feet of the Buddha are covered with the 108 noble signs of enlightenment, as well as
astrological signs associated with the eight days of the week.
Naga Hlainggu Aung Chantha Pagoda Monastic Education Center: On the Naga Hlainggu Hillock,
ancient pagodas, stupas and 28 ancient Buddha statues were found during 1938-39 excavations. They are
very old, contemporaneous with Bagan period (10 th c.), and all religious objects were re-enshrined inside
a new pagoda named Aung Chantha Pagoda,which was constructed under the management of the Most
Venerable Aboh Kalaywa Sayadaw. More than 1,000 novice monks and nuns are studying in this holy
learning center.
All over Burma children from poor families, as well as orphans from remote villages, are sent to the
city by local monks, to attend monastic schools where they learn to read, write and study fundamentals
of sciences, history, geography and Buddhism. Official statistics estimate that in 2005, there were 1,200
monastic schools in Burma. Although they are officially permitted by the Ministry of Religious Affairs to
provide primary education, only two of them, this one in Yangon and one in Mandalay – are currently
authorized to provide education beyond the fifth grade.
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Entrance to Shwedagon Pagoda, believed to have been built 2,500 years ago 357

Shwedagon Pagoda 359

Shwedagon Pagoda devotees paying their respects 361

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The Shwedagon Pagoda, the holiest of holies for the Burmese

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The Shwedagon Pagoda is entirely covered in gold leaf and is studded with 20,912 bricks of solid gold. More than 10,000
diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious stones decorate the pagoda while the gigantic 76-carat diamond graces the top.

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Naga Hlainggu Aung Chantha, Monastic Education Center

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School, Naga Hlainggu Aung Chantha, Monastic Education Center

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Nuns at Naga Hlainggu Aung Chantha, Monastic Education Center

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School, Naga Hlainggu Aung Chantha Pagoda

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Nuns praying before the daily meal

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Novice monks playing football

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Waterfront, Hlaing River, Yangon port

Bago (Pegu) & The Kyaiktiyo Pagoda (The Golden Rock)
BAGO (Pegu)
The archaeologically rich city of Bago, only two hours away
from Rangoon, was once the capital of a Mon kingdom. The
original town was founded in AD 573 by two Mon princes who saw
an auspicious sign on the banks of the river. Once a major seaport
known far and wide, it was sacked and almost completely destroyed by
King Alaungpaya in 1757. Not long after, the river changed direction,
cutting Bago off from the sea and any further development. It never
regained its previous importance. After the Second Anglo-Burmese
War, the British annexed Bago in 1852. In 1862, the province of British
Burma was formed, and the capital moved to Yangon.
Main points of interest are: The towering Shwemawdaw Pagoda
(taller than the Shwedagon in Yangon). The 54 meters Shwethalyaung
Buddha (Reclining Buddha), constructed in 994 A.D. by King
MigadepaShwe-Tha-Lyaung: Is the large reclining image of the
Buddha, 180 feet in length and 52.5 feet in height. This is one of the
largest reclining Buddha images in the world. Traditionally believed
to have been built by King Migadipa in AD 944, it was restored by
Ramadhipatiraja (1472-1492) but was later ‘lost’. Rediscovered 1880
and restored again several times to bring it to this condition.
To the south west, four gigantic Buddha figures that still rear their
heads over the treetops. The shrine (27 meters statues) built by the
Mon King Bana (1348-1383) is called Kyaik Pun Pakya Buddhas,
and depicts the Buddha seated back to back in four positions.
KYAIKTIYO PAGODA (The Golden Rock)
It is a well-known Buddhist pilgrimage site, at an elevation of 1100
meters, at the top of Mount Kyaiktiyo in Mon State, south of the
town of Bago. It is a small pagoda (7.3 meters). Built in 574 BC, on
the top of a granite boulder, is covered with gold leaves pasted on by
devotees. According to legend, the Golden Rock itself is precariously
perched on a strand of the Buddha’s hair. The rock seems to defy
gravity, as it perpetually appears to be on the verge of rolling down
the hill. It is the third most important Buddhist pilgrimage site in
Burma after the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon and the Mahamuni
Pagoda in Mandalay. A glimpse of the “gravity defying” Golden Rock
is believed to be enough of an inspiration for any person to turn to
Buddhism. ‘Kyaiktiyo’ in the Mon language means “Pagoda upon a
hermit’s head”.
The legend associated with the pagoda is that the Buddha, on one of
his many visits, gave a strand of his hair to a hermit, who in turn gave
it to the King, with the wish that the hair be enshrined in a boulder
shaped like the hermit’s head. The king, who had supernatural
powers, found the boulder at the bottom of the sea and used a ship
to bring it to the top of the mountain. Its cargo unloaded, the ship
promptly turned into stone. It is this strand of hair that, according to
the legend, prevents the rock from tumbling down the hill. The boat,
which was used to transport the rock, turned into a stone. This also
is now worshipped by pilgrims at a location about 300 meters from
the golden rock. It is known as the Kyaukthanban Pagoda or stupa
(literal meaning: stone boat stupa).
Legend also mentions that pilgrims undertaking the pilgrimage by
trekking from the Kinpun base camp, three times consecutively in a
year will be blessed with wealth and recognition. The most meritorious
way to the shrine is to trek 13 km up the trail, a trip that takes about
4 hours. However, you can also take a vehicle part of the way and
walk the last 45 minutes up to the shrine. Old people, who cannot
climb, are carried on stretchers by porters to the Pagoda to offer
prayers to Buddha.
A lotus shape is painted in gold leaf, encircling the base of the rock.
It appears as though the boulder will crash down at any moment.
A staircase leads to the pagoda complex that houses several viewing
platforms, pagodas, Buddha shrines, and Nats (spirits) that are
worshipped in Burma in conjunction with Buddhism shrines. As the
golden rock gleams in different shades from dawn to dusk (the sight
at dawn and at sunset is unique), pilgrims’ chants reverberate in the
precincts of the shrine. Lighting of candles, meditation and offerings
to the Buddha continues throughout the night. This holy place is never
closed. Men cross over a bridge across an abyss to affix golden leaves,
square in shape, on the face of the Golden Rock, in deep veneration.
A thread can even be passed under it, causing some to believe that
the rock is not actually touching the base, but is miraculously afloat.
Women are not allowed to touch the rock or even to come close.
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384 Reclining Buddha (measuring 54m, built 994 AD), Shwethalyaung Paya
Kyaik Pun Paya Buddgas(24m height, built 1380 AD) 385

Meditation Center, Bago 387

Young nuns, Meditation Center, Bago 389

Fishermen, river near Bago 391

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Selling dried fish, Bago countryside

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Bago countryside

Kinpun base camp, on the way to the Golden rock 399

Hermit on the way to the Golden rock 401

The Golden Rock Pagoda (built 574 BC) 403

Worshipers placing gold leaf on The Golden Rock 405