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-
ebrations led by spirit mediums know as nat kadaw .
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.
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