Where Spirits Dwell
covering burma and southeast asia
Friday, March 29, 2024
Magazine

COVER STORY

Where Spirits Dwell


By Yeni AUG, 2004 - VOLUME 12 NO.8


COMMENTS (0)
RECOMMEND (290)
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
PLUSONE
 
MORE
E-MAIL
PRINT
(Page 3 of 4)

Maung Tint De’s sister leapt into the flames to join him, and subsequently all their family died of grief or at the hands of the king.

 

Drunkard on a horse [above]; a woman prepares for the nat pwe.

 

They all became nats in local lore, which records that the spirit of Maung Tint De appeared before villagers to tell them he had become a nat.

 

A family shrine was built at Mount Popa, an extinct volcano 50 km southeast of Pagan. Maung Tint De was given the title Min Mahagiri (Lord of the Great Hill). His youngest sister became Thone Pan Hla and his niece was named Ma Nhe Mi, or Ma Nhe Lay.

 

Mount Popa, scene of annual nat festivals, is associated in popular lore with two other important nats: the brothers Min Gyi and Min Lay, who were born in the reign of King Anawrahta (AD 1044-1077), who was responsible for introducing Theravada Buddhism.

 

Legend has it that Min Gyi and Min Lay were the children of the superhuman Byatta and a forest nymph, Mai Wunna, who lived on Mount Popa.

 

The two brothers—also known as Shwe Phyin Gyi and Shwe Phyin Lay—became favorites of the king. But they fell out of favor when they neglected to join the rest of the king’s subjects in contributing a token brick and handful of sand for the construction of the “Wish-fulfilling Pagoda” in Taung Pyone, just north of Mandalay.

The king had the two executed for their negligence. Their spirits later appeared before the king and successfully pleaded for forgiveness, and they were allowed to stay in Taung Pyone, where annual festivities are held in their memory.

 

They joined a hierarchical pantheon of 37 nats that includes Maung Tint De and his family. All are immortalized in niches ordered by king Anawrahta to be placed in the Shwezigon Pagoda in Pagan.

 

The most important of the 37 are Thagyamin, “king of the celestials”, and four nats who guard the four cardinal points of the compass. All are associated directly with the life and death of the Lord Buddha.

 

One story relates how the Lord Buddha summoned Thagyamin to his death bed and put him in charge of his teachings. The celestial king was assigned four helpers—the custodians of the four cardinal points.

 

Thagyamin regularly sends a messenger down to report on how the custodians are managing their task. “He must know how things are going on down here and take action”, said Khin Myo Chit.

 

The 19th century poet U Ponnya maintained in one of his odes that Thagyamin wasn’t doing a very good job.


« previous  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  next page »

COMMENTS (0)
 
Please read our policy before you post comments. Click here
Name:
E-mail:   (Your e-mail will not be published.)
Comment:
You have characters left.
Word Verification: captcha Type the characters you see in the picture.
 

more articles in this section