Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE MAHAGIRI NATS
Mount Popa is associated with many spirits, but particularly with the four Mahagiri
(“Great Mountain”) nats - Mai Wunna and her husband Byatta, and Maung Tinde and his
sister Shwemyethna - all of whom are popularly believed to live on the mountain.
MAUNG TINDE AND SHWEMYETHNA
The first of the Mount Popa legends concerns Maung Tinde - aka Nga Tin De, Min
Mamagiri (“Lord of the Great Mountain”), Eindwin Nat or simply “Mr Handsome” - and
his sister Shwemyethna (aka Hnamadawgyi, Saw Me Ya, Myat Hla and “Golden Face”
- although another version of the tale says that the sister was actually Thonbanhla, a dif-
ferent nat entirely). Legend recounts that the king of Tagaung, fearful of Maung Tinde's
supernatural powers (which included the ability to snap the tusks of an elephant with his
bare hands), wed Shwemyethna in order to lure her brother to the palace, whereupon he
was promptly tied to a tree and burnt to death - only for his sister to leap into the flames
with him. The expired siblings subsequently reappeared as malevolent spirits, haunting the
treewheretheyhaddied,untilthekingordereditcutdownandflungintotheAyeyarwady,
along which it floated downto Bagan. The two spirits then appeared in a dream to the king
of Bagan asking him for a place to dwell and offering in return to guard the city. The king
had the remains of the tree carried to Mount Popa, where the spirits of Maung Tinde and
Shwemyethnaaresaidstilltoreside,whileshrinestothe nats wereerectedat TharabaGate
in Bagan, where they remain to this day.
MAI WUNNA AND BYATTA
The second legend relates to Mai Wunna (“Miss Gold” - aka Popa Mai Daw, the “Queen
Mother of Popa”) who is said to rule over Mount Popa, on which her spirit dwells. Mai
Wunna was a flower-eating ogress who became enamoured of Byatta , an Indian Muslim
with supernatural powers who had been ordered by King Anawrahta to collect flowers ten
times daily from the mountain. Mai Wunna's advances resulted in Byatta neglecting his
duty and being executed by the king, but not before she had produced two sons, Min Gyi
and Min Lay (aka Shwe Hpyin Naungdaw and Shwe Hpyin Nyidaw).
Mai Wunna, it is said, subsequently died of a broken heart, while her sons were taken
away by the king, and were later themselves executed for dereliction of duty while in his
service, becoming nats in their turn - their shrine at Taungbyone , near Mandalay, is now
the site of one of Myanmar's biggest nat pwè (spirit festivals).
To the summit
From the temple, head between the pair of large white elephants opposite and up the main
steps. There are 777 steps up to the top, covered all the way. The lower third of the stairway
is lined with numerous shops, beyond which is a footwear stall where you'll have to leave
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