Dotted with glittering pagodas, shrines and stupas and locked in the past, Burma despite the pain of recent decades, is worth a visit.
My mother was born and lived in Burma. Her father was in business. Rangoon in British times had a predominantly Indian population, and was administered by the British, as part of the Indian empire. My grandmother and mother fled the country by boat for India when war clouds loomed and the Japanese occupation was imminent during the Second World War. My eldest uncle, who stayed behind finally trekked out to reach the safety of India, as the Japanese advanced.
My mother was in Rangoon when General Ne Win usurped Prime Minister U Nu’s regime. U Nu was one of the original thirty comrades, who formed a group to fight for their country’s independence prior to the Second World War. The coup began in a house opposite where my mother lived. A few shots were fired and a country’s destiny changed. General Ne Win was Minister of Defence in U Nu’s cabinet after the assassination of Aung San and it was he who came to the helm with the coup. Since my mother was no longer a citizen and had renounced her nationality, she was ordered to leave Burma shortly thereafter; the family was never able to return.
The military junta has since changed the colonial name of the country and the cities to names with more Burmese usage. Ethnologists divide Burma’s indigenous population into the following main groups Tibeto-Burman, Mon-Khmer, and Karenic.
Much has been written about Aung San Su Kyi, but I would like to take readers back in history to the time when her father and his comrades fought for independence firstly from the British and the chilling events thereafter. General Aung San was born in Natmauk, Magwe Division on February 13, 1915. The family were rural gentry. He was the youngest of a family of eight children. Meeting his future wife, Daw Khin Kyi, a nurse, whilst in hospital, changed this enigmatic, brooding young man. Since his youth he was greatly troubled by the British occupation of his country. In order to overthrow the government, he collaborated with the Japanese. Thirty like minded comrades escaped for training in Japan. However, when Aung San finally realised that this action would not free his country which was now under Japanese occupation, he turned to the British and with his 10,000 man army fought his former allies, the Japanese and won. Ironically, General Ne Win, a friend of Aung San Su Kyi’s father and one of the 30 comrades later imprisoned his daughter.
On July 19, 1947, General Aung San was assassinated along with six of the members of the Interim Government by U Saw, an adversary and former right wing Prime Minister under a pre-war colonial Government.
U Saw expected the British Governor Sir Herbert Rance to call upon him to form a new Government. Instead, he was arrested a few days later in his home. U Nu, whom the assassins were unable to apprehend was made the new leader. Burma received independence from the British on January 4, 1948.
Aung San Su Kyi was only two when her father was killed. Daw Khin Kyi took on a public role working in several institutions in Burma which culminated with a diplomatic posting in India as Ambassadress. Su Kyi schooled in New Delhi until she proceeded for higher studies to St. Hughes, Oxford. Her mother resigned when she felt that the regime was at variance with her husband’s principles.
It was at the house of her guardian, Sir Paul Gore-Booth in London (the former British High Commissioner to India) that she met her future husband, well known Tibetan scholar, Michael Aris. Aung San Su Kyi has written “Freedom from Fear” as a tribute to her father and co-authored another book with her husband. For years she lived quietly in Oxford with her husband and two sons, Alexander and Kim. When her mother was gravely ill in 1988, she returned to her country to nurse her. Unable to ignore what was happening she entered the fray to assist her people suffering under a tyrannical regime.
Elections were held in 1989 and despite her imprisonment she won by a huge majority. She could not return to the UK despite her husband dying of cancer, she well knew she would never be allowed to return. The new constitution disallows a citizen married to a foreigner to hold higher office.She spent a lonely exile for many years with her two maids and found solace in her daily meditation, reading, listening to the radio and playing the piano until it was beyond repair. In a recent interview (after her term of house arrest was over and she was released late last year) with John Simpson of the BBC, she said “that she was never lonely as she had inner resources”.
Visas to foreigners were limited to a couple of days and staying with Burmese friends was disallowed. However, having yearned to visit, I accompanied an English friend a few years ago to discover a part of my roots.
Places worth a visit
Rangoon is a city in decline with elegant colonial buildings and some new construction. The sacred Shwe Dagon, dominates the landscape. The site of the Golden Pagoda previously had some holy relics and a further gift of eight hairs of the Buddha was given to a King who enshrined it on the same site. All important events even political, commence from this majestic backdrop.
I was awed by the magnificence and the devotion of the pilgrims. A pilgrim to this holy site would pray at the particular cardinal point of his zodiac sign and pour water over the miniature Buddha.
Sule Pagoda at the heart of Rangoon is another landmark where people pause to pray. Chinatown is still in existence where the Chinese vendors sell their vegetables, meats as well as Chinese sausages.
The Glass Palace dominates the city of Mandalay and has been rebuilt by the military. King Thibaw, the last King who ruled from the old capital Mandalay, killed his siblings to ascend the throne, resided here and was banished into exile from here. The Maha ganda Monastery (Buddhist University) with a thousand monks also in Mandalay is worth a visit. The discipline of the monks, the serious practice of the dharma is something Sri Lanka has to learn from.
Whilst travelling in the country one sees the monks making their way early morning to collect their dhana, and the younger monks being taught by the senior monks. We took a boat ride in the morning mist to Mingun famous for the large marble footprint of Buddha, and a bell which weighs 90 tons and the Myatheindan Pagoda with seven concentric terraces at the base.
Sagaing is a sanctum of 3,000 monks and 100 meditation centres reachable by boat. The golden spires stand out amidst the foliage and it is considered meritorious to build a stupa or apply the gold leaf on the statues of the Buddha. Each state has its own depiction of the Buddha statue but the one, which fascinated us was the hovering gold Buddha with its robe slightly raised above the ankles.
Sunsets are very special in Burma and throughout our two week visit, we witnessed sunsets over the hills of Mandalay, from our boat on the river at the site of the U Bein wooden bridge and in Bagan from the height of the balconies of some pagodas. We cruised to Bagan in a journey down the Ayeyarwaddy River, which took a whole day. Some of the pagodas and temples have been restored in Bagan (or Pagan as it was formerly known ).
The Htilominolo temple noted for its plaster carvings, the Ananda temple, an architectural masterpiece resembling a Greek Cross with the famous symbolic Burmese lions at the entrance are worthy of a visit. This has not been declared a world heritage site, as most of the stupas have been rebuilt. However, the magnificence of the stupas stretching out in a 60 mile radius cannot be denied.
We saw Jataka paintings, the statues of the Buddha in different postures including two double statues. In the Shewezigon Pagoda, the relics of the Buddha enshrined and a separate building for the 34 gnats (group of spirits, pre-Buddhist cult, who have died violently but protect the believer when properly propitiated and causing harm when offended or ignored).
Heho airport in Shan state was another stop for a visit to the Pindaya caves where there are close to 800 golden images of the Buddha and one comes out with what the guide book describes as “Buddha fatigue”. However, it is quite an experience to enter the cave. The countryside in Shan State was scenic with fir trees, sunflowers and other wild flowers.
A visit to the traditional Burmese umbrella-making establishment was next to see how the beautiful dried mountain flowers were immersed on to the paper and even processed on envelopes and stationery. Burmese handicrafts are unique, their exquisite silver work, lacquer work with gold leaf, weaving of their longyis with each state having its own designs. Many tourists wore longys like the Burmese. One can get absorbed in buying jade or various types of jewellery, different figurines of the Buddha, straw hats, cotton or silk longyis or exquisite lacquer ware which are sold in shops or by hawkers at the sites.
Inle Lake in the Shan States is known as the ‘Venice of the East’ and is an experience not to be missed. We alighted from our old Toyota at the quay waiting for our motorboat while around us milled the souvenir vendors with their pet chant “you give me lucky money”. Travel is by water taxi and the hotels are perched on stilts in the water.
Inle Lake has floating gardens created with 50 years of silt and water hyacinths- formed into troughs. We saw tomatoes and other vegetables being cultivated. The famous leg rowing fishermen carrying a tall conical trap with a net were out fishing. There are a number of interesting temples in the vicinity with legends and festivals organised each year. I was particularly fascinated with the temple that had cats, who jumped through hoops. A senior monk sat with his eyes closed on a chair. Our guide walked over to a till and the senior monk’s eyes opened and a nod of his head spurred another monk into action for our benefit. The cats jumped through the hoops, which were held by the younger monk.
Our water taxi docked at a well-known pagoda where five gold images of the Buddha are displayed. For two weeks in the year the images are taken out in a special boat to the various villages on the lake. However, one year the boat sank and only four images could be found but when the devotees returned to the monastery the fifth image was found on the altar. Thereafter only four images were taken out each year.
Bago or Pegu as it was known formerly is a 50-mile journey from Yangon. We paused a while by the British War Cemetery where 27,000 allied soldiers were buried after the Second World War. A sadness and quiet reflection enveloped us as we walked amidst the graves of those who had fought for the freedom of so many other lives. Shwemawdaw Pagoda in Bago is similar to the Shwe dagon but taller. The relics of the Buddha are enshrined here as well. We watched the devotees using their prayer beads, or monks concentrating on their walking meditation. We also stopped by the large reclining Buddha known as the Shwethalyaung Buddha, which was discovered by some workers when the railway was being built in the area in the 1930’s.
Myanmar in my view is unlike any other country I have visited. It is a source of learning for those interested in the Buddhist culture, practices and a country, which has retained its traditions.
The people remain gentle and sincere and there is an atmosphere for those, who are attuned to gain beneficence from its aura. |
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