Myanmar, (Burma), Shwedagon Pagoda
26/11/04 Filed in: Travel
At dawn I'm awakened to what sounds like men singing
or chanting on the street below, 'Pay Byo'-'Te Ya Nga
Se', 'Ei Kyaw Kway Pu Dae'.... To my surprise, when I
look from the window I see several venders rolling
their carts, they are singing, 'sauted soyabeans and
onion, 150 Kyats, soft fried sweet
bread...'
Now it's up and off for serious bargaining in the big central market with Gary, who is helping me to negotiate the best exchange rate for local currency. My pockets bulge with a lakh of Kyat (pronounced Chat), about 100,000 of the local Kyat currency (about US$100).
But no time to look around the market just yet, today I'm going to the Shwedagon Pagoda temple complex. Shwedagon is steeped in legend; some say the stupa here has been the main center of Buddhism in SE Asia for 2500 years. Since its full moon today it’s very auspicious to visit and it’s packed with people making pilgrimage.
To get to the main east entrance we first have to walk through a sea of street venders and thousands of pilgrims. Free of this obstacle course, shoes are removed and we walk bare foot up hundreds of steps to the central temple area.
People in every corner are lighting candles, incense and offering flowers. It’s especially important to go to the correct place for your personal offering. There are signs (in Burmese) indicating the seven days of the week, so if you were born on a Sunday, you make offerings at the Sunday place.
Groups of monks are also everywhere (many curious to see me, the rare westerner). In fact, it feels like I may be more interesting to them than this fascinating and beautiful place.
Over 300 feet high and said to be gilded with over 53 tones of gold leaf, the top of the main stupa is also set with 5000 diamonds and 2000 other precious stones.
This adds some perspective when bargaining the taxi driver down 20 cents for the ride home.
LISTEN TO PALI CHANT
LISTEN TO CHANT IN ENGLISH
Please check out all the photos on my SE Asia Portfolio page available at NavaSwan.com
Now it's up and off for serious bargaining in the big central market with Gary, who is helping me to negotiate the best exchange rate for local currency. My pockets bulge with a lakh of Kyat (pronounced Chat), about 100,000 of the local Kyat currency (about US$100).
But no time to look around the market just yet, today I'm going to the Shwedagon Pagoda temple complex. Shwedagon is steeped in legend; some say the stupa here has been the main center of Buddhism in SE Asia for 2500 years. Since its full moon today it’s very auspicious to visit and it’s packed with people making pilgrimage.
To get to the main east entrance we first have to walk through a sea of street venders and thousands of pilgrims. Free of this obstacle course, shoes are removed and we walk bare foot up hundreds of steps to the central temple area.
People in every corner are lighting candles, incense and offering flowers. It’s especially important to go to the correct place for your personal offering. There are signs (in Burmese) indicating the seven days of the week, so if you were born on a Sunday, you make offerings at the Sunday place.
Groups of monks are also everywhere (many curious to see me, the rare westerner). In fact, it feels like I may be more interesting to them than this fascinating and beautiful place.
Over 300 feet high and said to be gilded with over 53 tones of gold leaf, the top of the main stupa is also set with 5000 diamonds and 2000 other precious stones.
This adds some perspective when bargaining the taxi driver down 20 cents for the ride home.
LISTEN TO PALI CHANT
LISTEN TO CHANT IN ENGLISH
Please check out all the photos on my SE Asia Portfolio page available at NavaSwan.com