Travel

Heho

[Falling in love with Myanmar]

A Photographer’s dream in Myanmar:

Text and Pix by Ganga Illeperuma

Daily News Travel Page has been presenting a series of ‘Falling in love with Myanmar’ for three weeks and today we write the final part. Myanmar is one of the hidden beautiful countries in the world. From Yangon to Heho by air it took only 20 minutes and compared with other cities in Myanmar, Heho has a greenery atmosphere.

Pindaya Caves

The Pindaya caves are a limestone ridge overlooking the Pindaya Lake housing nine thousand Buddha images made from alabaster, teak, marble, brick, lacquer and cement which have been put there centuries ago and arranged in such a way as to form a labyrinth through the various cave chambers.

A place where legendary cave Buddha images are erected like in a museum at the back of the town greets you for a perfect countryside tour.

By passing through a beautiful landscape with small villages we saw many kinds of tribes such as Shans, Danus and Paos earning their living with vegetation and crops.

The cave is million years old and Pindaya means spider. The legend says seven princesses bathed in the lake and they took a rest in this cave.

At that time the cave was blocked by a huge spider and the princesses shouted for help. Then the prince who came to the forest for hunting heard the crying and killed the spider by his arrow. Later the prince got married to the youngest princess and lived happily ever after. Entering the cave we could see the images according to the legends of the spider and the prince with an arrow.

There are two ancient stupas in this cave. One is from the 3rd century and the second from the12th century.

Among all gold Buddha statues there are also two black Buddhas in the cave which local people believe can cure illnesses. They are called sweating Buddha. Among these Buddha statues there are two white Buddha statues donated by Sri Lanka.

Inle Lake

Myanmar has its share of magical destinations and among them Inle Lake is one of the most captivating. It is frequently cited by visitors to Myanmar as the highlight of their entire trip.

The people of Inle Lake (called Intha), some 70,000 of them, 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 of Intha, with a mix of other Shan, Taungyo, Pa-O (Taungthu), Danu, Kayah, Danaw and Bamar ethnicities. Most are devout Buddhists, and live in simple houses of wood and woven bamboo on stilts; they are largely self-sufficient farmers.

Most transportation on the lake is traditionally by small boats, or by somewhat larger boats fitted with outboard motors. Local fishermen are known for practising a distinctive rowing style which involves standing at the stern on one leg and wrapping the other leg around the oar. This unique style was evolved for the reason that the lake is covered with reeds and floating plants making it difficult to see above them while sitting. Standing provides the rower with a view beyond the reeds. However, the leg rowing style is practised only by men. Women row in the customary style, using the oar with their hands, sitting cross legged at the stern.

Floating farm Inle Lake is a major tourist attraction, and this has led to some development of tourist infrastructure.

They have floating gardens and tomato industry is their main income. Apart from these industries we could also see weaving centres and cigar manufacture also.

Kyaikhtiyo pagoda

Kyaikhtiyo pagoda is located in the small town called Kyaikhto, in the Mon State. The pagoda is also known as “the golden rock”. The meaning of Kyaik Hti Yo : According to Mon tradition, the name is a corruption of Kyaiki-thi-yo being derived as follows. In Mon language the word “Kyaik” means “pagoda” and “ yo” “ to carry on the hermits head”, in Pali the word” ithi” means a hermit and therefore the name means “ the pagoda carried on the hermit’s head said Director of Travelon, Bandula de Silva.

Since we couldn’t reach there by coach we went by truck to the villages and on the final part to the top of the mountain we had to go by palanquin. The strong boys in this village make palanquins and they carry all foreigners to the top and it is their main income also.

It is located on top of mount Kyaiktiyo at 1102 meters above sea level is recognized as one of the wonders of South East Asia. It can also be qualified as one of the wonders of the world by virtue of its unique position atop a gilded boulder which is delicately balanced on the edge of the sloping surface of a separate rock table, the slope dropping perpendicularly into the valley below.

The boulder and balancing rock barely touch each other. Legend has it that this precarious position of the boulder is held through centuries by virtue of the power of the hair relic of Buddha enshrined in the pagoda.

Golden Rock Hotel Company has two hotels in Kyaikhtiyo which are called Mountain Top and Golden Rock where the two Sri Lankan Managers work there named Hasitha Manthriratne and Nuwan Rathnayaka.

Umbrella industry

The umbrella industry of Pathein, the capital of the Ayeyarwaddy Division of Myanmar’s delta region, is well known worldwide. This cottage industry was established in Pathein over a hundred years ago.

The first umbrellas were made of paper, but through experience, the makers became innovative and began to produce umbrellas with canopies of cottons, silk and satin with attractive floral designs.

These newly fashioned umbrellas gained popularity with the ladies and sales expanded to the whole country. The umbrella attracts foreigners to buy as souvenirs or for interior decoration on walls and for use as unique lampshades.