Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
anmar's myriad
nats
were chosen to form a royally sanctioned pantheon known as the
37
Nats
undertheleadershipofThagyamin(aBurmanizedversionoftheHindugodIndra,often
portrayed, like Indra himself, seated on top of a three-headed elephant). Thaygamin excep-
ted, every one of the 37
nats
died a violent death, lending them something of the character
of Christian martyrs. At the same time they're also an engagingly humanized bunch, in stark
contrast to the exalted qualities of the Buddha himself. Popular
nats
include some decidedly
raffish characters with very recognizable personal flaws and earthly failings such as Min Ky-
awzwa, the “Drunken Nat”, whose image at Mount Popa is draped with offerings of whisky
bottles and cigarettes in homage to his life spent boozing, cockfighting and hunting.
Nats
have been thoroughly integrated into Burmese Buddhism, and
nat
shrines or images
can be found in most temples in the country. All pagodas have a resident guardian
nat
spirit,
or
Bo Bo Gyi
, typically shown as a man dressed in pink robes with a white turban. In addi-
tion,you'llalsoseemanyshrinesdedicated to
ShinUpagot
(orUpagutta),amuchvenerated
figurewhoisbelievedtoprotectworshippersagainstwateryperilssuchasfloodsandstorms.
He's easily recognizable thanks to his distinctive pose, seated, with one hand dipping into an
alms bowl on his lap, and his head tilted upwards, looking skywards as if in search of rain.
Myanmar's main centre of
nat
worship is Mount Popa, while there are also several import-
ant
nat
shrines around Mandalay. All of these places host raucous
natpwè
festivals with cel-
The Sangha
Myanmar's community of Buddhist monks, the
Sangha
, is one of the world's largest - the
sight of monks (and also nuns) doing their daily morning rounds, bearing alms bowls and
possibly a brightly coloured umbrella, is one of the country's most emblematic sights. Exact
figures are hard to come by, although there are probably between 300,000 and half a million
monks (plus at least fifty thousand nuns) in the country at any one time.
Burmese monks usually wear maroon-coloured robes rather than the orange robes worn in
countries like Sri Lanka and Thailand. There are nine officially recognized
monastic orders
(
nikaya
);easilythelargestistheThudhammaNikaya,followedbythemoreconservativeSh-
wegyin Nikaya. All Burmese Buddhist men are expected to experience monastic life at least
once. This often happens as a child - anytime after the age of seven. Young boys are entered
into the monastery during an elaborate
shinbyu
ceremony, a major Burmese rite of passage
during which their heads are shaved and normal clothes exchanged for robes; better-off par-
entsmayalsoarrangea
shinbyu
processionfortheiroffspring,providingasymbolicre-enact-
ment of the Buddha's own renunciation of royal life. Most boys enter a monastery for a short
periodonly,perhapsaslittleasaweek,althoughpoorerchildrenmaybecomenovicesandbe
educated at the monastery. Full ordination (
upasampada
) for those who choose to enter the
Sangha for life follows at the age of twenty or later.