Shattered dreams and a big hug – Mingun

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November 26, 2012 by Ben and Françoise

Ben: Our first view of Pahtodawgyi, “the unfinished pagoda”, at Mingun was from the river. Looking like a set from an Indiana Jones movie, this brick testament to a ruler’s former glories bears the deep scars of an earthquake in 1838. Trees now grow from the many cracks and fissures from the brickwork of what was intended to be the world’s largest stupa. The building’s troubled history didn’t start there, however, it was already a relic even then – a building that will never be finished. King Bodawpaya‘s untimely death during its construction bred a superstitious conviction that Burma would be destroyed if building work was ever completed, so men downed tools and that was that. Approaching the pagoda by foot you walk by two decayed, mighty figures that are forever facing the river on eternal guard duty. You can no longer make out what they are but they once represented a pair of chinthe (Burmese lions) that protect the pagoda.

Françoise: We left the ruined splendour of the “unfinished Pagoda” to make the short walk to the Seven Waves Pagoda. Most people take the direct route, where you pass lots of stalls, step over the mountains of plastic bottles and bags, ignoring the needless supply of postcard sellers. We moved off to the left following a small path through a pristine village, where a smiling monk invited us to rest at his tiny monastery. Just a few meters away was another pagoda, its white surface stained a gentle green by lime. It was a place few people chose to visit and was all the more special for that.

On the way back I hit my toe on a bit of ancient stone and had to find a nurse to disinfect it. We were taken to an old people’s home where those without families are cared for – a sort of orphanage for the aged. Thanks to donations, they were able to run a infirmary. Walking through the grounds, we spotted a number of deeply-lined, character-filled faces. Some were looking at us in surprise (maybe they had never seen a westerner before), others offered us a big smile. After bandaging my toe she threw her arms around me and told me not to worry…all would be fine. The spirit of giving was truly strong here.