Rangoon’s rumor mill is at work again over reports that statues of a well known nat, or spirit, in two local temples are being handcuffed at night.
The revered nat, Mya Nan Nwe, is believed to have supernatural powers and the ability to take on human form. She is credited with making donations to local temples, including the two where her statues stand— Bo Ta Htaung Pagoda and a pagoda at Hlaw Kar Lake in Rangoon’s Mingladon Township.
A resident living near Bo Ta Htaung Pagoda said local authorities tie the hands of the statue at 11 p.m. and untie them at 6 a.m. the next day.
Families living close to Hlaw Kar Lake say the same procedure is followed at a lakeside pagoda where a statue of Mya Nan Nwe is located. The statue’s hands, raised in a reverential gesture toward Buddha, are handcuffed every night, they say.
"One morning, I came quite early to offer food at the altar to the Buddha and I saw some glittering thing on the hands of Mya Nan Nwe's statue and when I approached closer to it, I saw it was a handcuff,” the resident said. “At first, I thought some young people must have played a joke, but then I saw the handcuffs were the real thing.”
Theories for the phenomenon abound. A Rangoon businessman said he had heard rumors that the handcuffing procedure had been ordered by junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe after a dream in which a nat dressed like Mya Nan Nwe had appeared and spoken to him.
“It’s said that soothsayers suggested to Than Shwe that he should have the statues handcuffed to prevent any trouble from Mya Nan Nwe.”
Another resident said: “Some people said Mya Nan Nwe appeared to Snr-Gen Than Shwe in a nightmare and in response he ordered the statues to be handcuffed.”
A senior government official confirmed the rumor. "It’s said that a famous lady traveled through Burma and built many pagodas, where statues of her were erected. The authorities allowed the statues to be built, but reports that the generals were suffering nightmares caused them to issue this handcuffing order.”
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