The Mighty Irrawaddy River

Mandalay is a name that conjures up memories of romance and tragedy of the last monarch King Thibaw, sent into exile in India when the British took over his country in 1885. The primitive weapons of the Myanmar at the time could never have competed against the cannons of the invaders, but the Myanmar court was also fooled into believing that the British brought Prince Nyaung Yan, cousin to Thibaw, from his exile in India to be replaced as king. The court and people, although they loved Thibaw were none too fond of his powerful and aggressive queen Su Paya Lat. They hopefully waited for Prince Nyaung Yan to arrive, whom the spies had spotted sitting at the bow of the ship leading the British troops. Unknown to the population, Prince Nyaung Yan had already passed away of a fever, and only when the British landed unchallenged at Gawein Jetty of Mandalay that they realised the 'prince' was an impostor dressed in royal raiment.

Manipulated into kingship by his cruel mother-in-law and ambitious queen at the costs of the deaths of many of his uncles and cousins, Thibaw, too, may have been relieved that a Myanmar king would take his place, but it was not to be. Myanmar won her independence only in January of 1948, after suffering the destruction of World War II.

Mandalay today is a modern city with many ancient cites, and places where the best craftsmen in the country continue to make things in the way their great grandfathers did. The Maha Muni Pagoda enshrines a cast bronze image of the Buddha brought over the mountain ranges of the west in 1782. The 4m-high image has so often been gilded that the torso has lost all proportions. Only the serene face remains unchanged, polished and washed and even the teeth, actually the lips, brushed every dawn at 4a.m.with great ceremony by the pagoda trustees.

The platform of the Maha Muni has a pavilion with two huge celestials cast in bronze holding up a triangle gong, and another with a few Khmer statues. When the Myanmar king invaded the Rakhine Kingdom of the Western coast to bring the Maha Muni Image, they also brought along these Khmer statutes that the Rakhine king had taken from Bago in 1663. Previously, the king of Bago had brought them from Thailand in 1564 after a war. Thailand had won them after they conquered Angkor in 1431, in one of the many battles fought all over SE Asia during those times. The statues had travelled from country to country after each skirmish, and finally came to rest in Mandalay, where now, their bellies are being rubbed to a high shine by people who want to cure their stomachache.

The four corridors that branch out from the image at the four cardinal points are delightful to explore. The main wing has shops selling religious paraphernalia and images, musical instruments, jade, fake gems, beads and flowers. One corridor leads to the marble cutters' quarters where alabaster statues and images of all sizes, from 3cm to 3m high, are being carved by the roadside. Another wing of the pagoda houses the stalls of the Brahmin astrologers, descendents of those who served the kings. They make up palm leaf horoscopes and tell fortunes.

King Mindon, a deeply religious kind monarch who left many pagodas and monasteries, built Mandalay and official began residing there in 1859. He had moved the capital from Amarapura, which is by now another neighbourhood of the fast spreading Mandalay. Amarapura boasts of having the best bronze casters and wood carvers in the country, as well as the best hand-woven silks. The Buddhist Myanmar could not bear to kill the silk worms so silk skeins are imported from China. The fabrics woven by girls of Amarapura are in shimmering colours of all shades, or in the traditional zigzag pattern called 'Acheik.' The most intricate designs are woven in the 'Hundred Shuttle' style, where literally one hundred (or up to three hundred) shuttles with different coloured silks are twined in and out of the weft by three girls sitting at one loom. It is a painstakingly slow job but the rich patterns and colours are cherished by all Myanmar women as the best formal wear.

Amarapura offers other charming sights, such as the 1.2km long wooden footbridge connecting one bank of Taungthaman Lake with the far side. The bridge had been built with discarded timber from an old palace when a king shifted his capital from Inwa to Amarapura. Of the two temples on the lakeside, Pahtotaw Gyi Temple has marble plaques carved with the stories from Buddha's Life, and the Kyauttaw Gyi Temple on the far side has beautiful 19th century wall paintings.

Sagaing is the religious sanctuary of Myanmar, thickly wooded and hilly. Hundreds of monasteries and nunneries dwell almost hidden among the trees and in the gullies. Kaung Hmu Daw Pagoda of Sagaing is a whitewashed dome, a replica of the Mahachedi Pagoda of Sri Lanka. U Min Thoneze is a long, curved cave enshrined with Buddha images, the entrances and the roof covered with mythical and legendary creatures. The pagoda on the highest hill is the Soon Pone Nya Shin, from which one can look over the spectacular view of the river, the old Inwa Bridge, and Mandalay and Inwa in the far mists.

Mingun, on the same side of the Irrawaddy as Sagaing and 11km upriver from Mandalay is one of the most peaceful spots on the river, with few villages or towns in the vicinity. A pagoda as famous as the others although left incomplete is the Mingun Pagoda. The 50m high square brick edifice was cracked during an earthquake, and in spite of being only one-third finished, the Mingun Pagoda manages to look both majestic and peaceful. Nearby is the bronze bell that was cast to grace the pagoda platform. At 90 tonnes it is the biggest hanging bell in the world.

Inwa is an old ruined city, five times the seat of the Myanmar kings since the 14th century, during the period of wars, one even lasting 40 years with a southern kingdom. The city gate of Inwa still stands to guard not a city of mighty armies of glorious heroes but fertile paddy fields of contented villagers. Inwa today is so tranquil that without the vestiges of the palace still seen here and there such as the leaning watchtower, one could hardly believe it was once a great city. Bagayar Monastery is an exquisite example of traditional architecture. It is set on a high platform supported with whole teak logs, with brick stairs leading up to the open air space all around the main pavilion where the monks walk in meditation or hang out their washed robes. Tiered roofs soar to the sky over pavilions with carved doors, high-relief figures of Celestials bearing lotus buds. In the main hall, dark and cool, young novices recite the texts they have learnt. Another monastery built in the same tradition but of brick was the merit of one queen, a commoner who rose to the rank of chief consort through the passionate love of her king. The monastery is known not by its official name but by hers: 'Mai Nu Oke Kyaung,' or Miss Nu's Brick Monastery.

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