Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pali-Sanskrit
guha,
meaning 'cave'). The more modern style is much more graceful - a
curvaceous lower bell merging into a soaring spire, such as the Shwedagon Paya in Yan-
gon or the Uppatasanti Paya in Nay Pyi Taw.
The overall Bamar concept is similar to that of the Mayan and Aztec pyramids of
Mesoamerica: worshippers climb a symbolic mountain lined with religious reliefs and
frescoes.
Style is not always a good indicator of the original age of a
zedi
, as Myanmar is
earthquake-prone and many (including the Shwedagon) have been rebuilt again and
again. In places such as Bagan and Inthein near Inle Lake, ruined temples have been re-
built from the base up with little or no respect for what the original would have looked
like. In Bagan, for example, all
zedi
would have been traditionally covered with white or
painted stucco, not left as the bare brick structures they are today.
MYANMAR'S SPORTING LIFE
Martial arts are perhaps the longest-running sports that the people of Myanmar
have patronised: the oldest written references to kickboxing in the country are
found in the chronicles of warfare between Burma and Thailand during the 15th
and 16th centuries. The British introduced football (soccer) in the 19th century and
it remains Myanmar's most popular spectator sport.
Football
The Myanmar National League (MNL) was launched in 2009 and currently con-
sists of 12 teams; Yangon United were the 2013 champions. A US embassy cable
released by WikiLeaks revealed that Senior General Than Shwe had thought it
would be politically more popular to instruct crony businesses to create this league
rather than spend US$1 billion on buying Manchester United, as his grandson had
advised. Local TV broadcasts European games and teashops are invariably packed
when a big match is screened.
Martial Arts
Myanma let-hwei(Myanmar kickboxing) is very similar in style to muay thai(Thai
kickboxing), although not nearly as well developed as a national sport.
The most common and traditional kickboxing venues are temporary rings set up
in a dirt circle (usually at payapwerather than sports arenas). All fighters are bare-
fisted. All surfaces of the body are considered fair targets and any part of the body
except the head may be used to strike an opponent. Common blows include high
kicks to the neck, elbow thrusts to the face and head, knee hooks to the ribs and
low crescent kicks to the calf. Punching is considered the weakest of all blows and
