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The
nation known as Myanmar (which many still refer to as
Burma) covers 216,789 square miles, which is nearly
as large as the U.S. state of Texas. Myanmar is bordered
by Bangladesh to the West, Thailand to the East, and
India and China to the North. The Bay of Bengal and
the Andaman Sea border Myanmar to the South. In 1989
the military government, The State Law and Order Restoration
Council (SLORC), changed the country's official name
from Burma to the Union of Myanmar. |
The
name "Burma" was considered by SLORC to be reminiscent of
European colonialism (Burma achieved its independence from
Britain in 1948). SLORC also changed the names of cities
and rivers to reflect the original Burmese pronunciation.
For example, the river Irrawaddy is now the Ayeyarwady,
Rangoon became Yangon, Pegu is now Bago, and Pagan was changed
to Bagan.
For
travelers Myanmar is a largely an unexplored land. As late
as 1993 Marc Kaufman in his Condé Nast TRAVELER article,
Burma: The Tarnished Jewel of Asia noted that "more
tourists enter neighboring Thailand in a day than travel
to Burma in a year."
The
Mystic Lands episode The Duncan Group produced for the Mystic
Lands series is called BURMA: Triumph
of the Spirit.
Here
are some fun facts, important words and people important
to the history and spirituality of Myanmar (Burma):
-
Pagan
(Bagan) - More than a thousand years ago, Pagan was the
capital of northern Burma. Between the ninth and thirteenth
centuries, in a burst of religious fervor, Pagan's rulers
had thousands of temples, pagodas, kyaungs and other religious
monuments constructed. It's believed that more than 13,000
structures once occupied the Pagan plain. Today, the remains
of more than 2,000 of Pagan's pagodas and temples form the
greatest assemblage of Buddhist monuments in the world.
Pagan is a religious and archaeological marvel, and some
would say it's "a wonder of the ancient World." The temples
stretch for eight miles along the bank of the Ayeyarwady
River and for about two miles inland. At some points the
ruins are so dense that it's often described as a place
where it's impossible to move without touching something
sacred.
-
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
- Burmese human rights activist, leader of the Burmese pro-democracy
movement, co-founder of the National League for Democracy
(NLD) - Burma's most powerful opposition party. Suu Kyi
is also the daughter of Burma's national liberation leader
Bogyoke Aung San. Aung San, founder of independent Burma,
was assassinated, along with his cabinet members, in 1947.
The killings occurred just months before the realization
of Burmese independence from Britain on January 4, 1948.
In
1989, as a result of what SLORC called her "treasonous"
efforts to introduce democratic reforms to her country,
Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest by the military. SLORC
had come to power in 1988. While under house arrest, Suu
Kyi was awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace prize. Released from
house arrest in 1995 after six years of forced detention,
Suu Kyi remains today an international symbol of resistance
to authoritarian rule.
-
hti
- Umbrella-like decorated top of a stupa.
-
kyaung
- Burmese Buddhist monastery.
-
pongyi
- Buddhist monk
-
Sagaing
- This city located near Mandalay is considered by many
to be the spiritual heart of the Buddhist faith in Myanmar
today. It is a place of spiritual pilgrimage and retreat
and the center of monastic life. Scattered in the hills
and valleys of the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River are
600 monasteries, as well as numerous temples, stupas and
caves dedicated to the memory of Gautama Buddha. Approximately
5,000 monks and nuns live in this area. Many of the temples
and shrines in the Sagaing area date back to the 14th century.
-
Shwedagon Pagoda
- For Burmese Buddhists the Shwedagon is the most sacred
of all Buddhist sites in the country. All Burmese hope to
visit the Shwedagon at least once in their lifetime. According
to legend it was constructed 2500 years ago by two brothers
with the help of Nat spirits (nat spirits are from the animist
period that preceded Buddhism in Burma). Schwedagon is believed
to house eight of Buddha's hairs given to the brothers by
the Buddha himself. It is said that Queen Shinsawbu, who
is credited with giving the Shwedagon its present shape,
offered almost 90 pounds of gold plating for the stupa.
The bell shaped stupa is said to be platted with more than
8,600 gold slabs. The stupa hti is studded with nearly eight
thousand diamonds, rubies and sapphires.
-
stupa -
A traditional Buddhist religious monument consisting of
a solid hemispherical or gently tapering cylindrical cone,
and topped with a variety of metal and jewel finishes.
For
additional information about The Duncan Group, the Mystic
Lands series, or Wisconsin, please contact Patty@DuncanEntertainment.com.
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