lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

AN 11TH-CENTURY LOVE TRIANGLE133In 1056 the King of Bago became a vassal of Bagan’s ascendant ruler, Anawrahta, wholater sent his armies to bolster Bago against the Khmers. Among the tribute gifts thatsymbolised the relationship was one of four Buddha hair relics sent to Bagan and nowenshrined within Bagan’s Shwesandaw pagoda. Another ‘gift’ was the King of Bago’sbeautiful daughter Princess Manisanda (aka Khin U). To collect these priceless prizes,Anawrahta sent his most trusted commanders, the ‘four paladins’, led by his son andforemost general Kyanzittha. But as they returned Kyanzittha was overcome by temptationfor the future queen, kicking off a classic love triangle. Once their affair was discovered,Kyanzittha was bound and sentenced to death by his furious father. However,the magic lance that was supposed to execute him instead broke the ropes that boundhim and Kyanzittha made a fairy-tale escape, grabbing the lance and fleeing in a fishingboat. After a series of similarly implausible triumphs against Anawrahta’s search parties,Kyanzittha settled in Kaungbyu, before finally returning to Bagan in 1077, only to rekindlethe affair with Manisanda. Today, there is some controversy as to where Kaungbyu was,but Monywa guides are adamant that it was the delightful little village of A Myint (p 132 ).little wooden monastery and a few retaininterior murals. Another minor attraction isthe British-era house (62 Seidan St) of theformer village chief. It’s private and stillowned by the charming original family, whomight wind up their gramophone for you orshow off their 1920s sepia photos.A major attraction is the lovely 15-mileride through agricultural villages fromMonywa on a lane that’s narrow but unusuallywell asphalted. Around half way looknortheast for brief, distant views.SOUTHEAST OF MONYWAIf you’re driving between Mandalay andMonywa, the following sites can be convenientlyvisited as a short detour en route.However, if you’re using public transport,you’d be wiser to visit on a return excursionfrom Monywa, costing around K5000/8000by motorbike/three-wheeler and takingaround three hours.Thanboddhay PayaBUDDHIST TEMPLEsmºŸedÖ.ur;"(Monye Sambuddhe) The central feature of thiscarnivalesque complex is a large mid-20thcenturytemple whose unique roof is layeredwith rows of gilt mini-stupas. Its flanksburst gaudily bright colours and are flankedby 30ft-high concrete obelisks set with uncountableminuscule Buddha shapes. Themultiply arched temple interior (admission$3; h6am-5pm) is plastered with so manyBuddha images, large and small, that it feelslike you’re walking through a Buddha houseof mirrors. However, while intriguing, you’llget the idea in two minutes and some visitorsmake do with peeping in for free. Thanboddhay’skitschfest continues in the surroundingpastel-hued monks’ quarters andwith two huge white concrete elephants atthe site’s gateway. It’s 1.5km off the Mandalayroad, 10km from Monywa.Bodhi TataungWORLD’S BIGGEST BUDDHAeb;/itc'eq;='Another 8km east from Thanboddhay, thename of this vast hillside Buddha-ramatranslates as ‘1000 Buddhas’. But for most visitors,only two of them really count. Openedin 2008, the glimmering 424ft standingBuddha is claimed to be the world’s tallest,and it utterly dominates the landscapefor miles around. Inside the multi-storeytorso, seemingly interminable stairways linkpainted galleries, many lower ones depictinggruesome hell scenes. You might hope thatclimbing to Buddha’s head would take you,artistically at least, to Nirvana. However, sofar at least, visitors’ progress is blocked atthe 16th floor, barely half way up. A spiritualmessage? The interior closes at 5pm.Lower down the hillside lounges a slightlysmaller but still enormous 312ft recliningBuddha. It’s hardly refined and the dark interiorcontains poorly maintained tableaux:enter through the left buttock.Note that both giant Buddhas face west,so for best photos come in the late afternoon.If you’re feeling inspired, the BodhiTataung site hosts many other minor fascinations,including a whole garden of identicalsitting Buddhas under concrete parasols,and the gilded 430ft stupa Aung SetkyaAROUND BAGAN & BAGAN CENTRAL 8MYANMAR 8 AROUND MONYWA