Original subtitles

Narrator: FIRST IT WAS A LAND OF KINGDOMS,

THEN A LAND OF POLITICAL UPHEAVAL AND REPRESSION,

BUT THROUGH IT ALL,

BURMA HAS NURTURED A REMARKABLE CULTURE OF WORSHIP,

WITH A LANDSCAPE LIKE A BUDDHIST WONDERLAND--

TEMPLES, STUPAS, STATUES.

THE SHRINES OF BURMA GLITTER WITH GOLD.

ALL ARE CONSIDERED SACRED, WITH SOME THOUGHT TO CONTAIN

THE RELICS OF THE BUDDHA HIMSELF.

HERE, MYTHOLOGY IS KING.

NO COUNTRY HAS SPUN ITS OWN SPIRITUAL STORY

QUITE LIKE BURMA,

AND THE MYTHS ARE STILL SWIRLING AND CHANGING TO THIS DAY,

CREATING DEEP DEVOTION

AND COLORFUL SPECTACLE.

TRAVEL DEEP INTO THE SHRINES,

FESTIVALS, AND FOLKLORE OF A SECRETIVE NATION

AND DISCOVER THE HEARTBEAT OF BURMA,

A JEWEL OF ASIA, GILDED IN GOLD.

♪

♪

♪

♪

Donald Stadtner: BURMA IS UNIQUE IN THE SENSE

THAT IT’S BEEN SO ISOLATED FOR SO LONG.

IT’S ONLY IN THE LAST TEN YEARS

THAT BURMA HAS STARTED TO LOOK OUTSIDE ITS BORDERS,

AND PEOPLE ARE LOOKING MORE AND MORE INSIDE BURMA.

AND BUDDHISM, AS IT’S ALWAYS BEEN,

HAS BEEN CENTRAL TO PEOPLE’S LIVES,

AND IT’S A WONDERFUL STORY.

Narrator: THE ANCIENT MYTHS OF BURMA, NOW CALLED MYANMAR,

ARE NOT JUST BURIED IN HISTORY.

THEY ARE PART OF EVERYDAY BURMESE CULTURE.

THAT’S WHY TODAY IS A SPECIAL DAY

IN THE VILLAGES AROUND INLE LAKE.

PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE REGION

ARE COMING TOGETHER IN A COLORFUL SWARM.

THE FESTIVITIES BEGIN

WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE LOCAL INTHA FISHERMEN,

AN ETHNIC GROUP KNOWN FOR ROWING WITH THEIR LEGS.

♪

THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE PHAUNG DAW OO FESTIVAL,

INLE LAKE’S BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR.

FOR NOW, THE EPICENTER OF THE FESTIVAL IS THE PAGODA,

BUT SOON, IT WILL SPREAD OUT TO THE ENTIRE LAKE.

♪

WOMEN LINE UP, WAITING TO MARCH IN A FESTIVAL PROCESSION.

THEY CARRY FLOWER BOUQUETS AND FOOD AS OFFERINGS TO BUDDHA.

MUSICIANS AND DANCERS ENTERTAIN THE MASSES

AS THEY WAIT FOR THE MAIN EVENT TO BEGIN.

♪

SOON, BOATS FROM EVERY VILLAGE CREATE A HUGE FLOTILLA,

AND THEY GATHER BEHIND THE ONE LEADING THE WAY,

THE GOLDEN DRAGON BOAT.

FOR ALMOST THREE WEEKS,

THIS BOAT WILL CRISSCROSS THE LAKE AND VISIT 19 VILLAGES,

A FLOATING PROXY FOR THE LAND-BOUND PHAUNG DAW OO PAGODA.

INSIDE, IT CARRIES PRECIOUS SPIRITUAL CARGO

THAT USUALLY SITS DEEP WITHIN THE PAGODA.

NOW, EVERY VILLAGE IS WAITING TO SEE IT.

Narrator: FOR EACH VILLAGE AROUND THE LAKE,

IT’S AN ANNUAL RITUAL.

THEY AWAIT THE ARRIVAL OF THE SACRED BUDDHA STATUES,

EVEN THOUGH THEY DON’T LOOK

ANYTHING LIKE THE BUDDHA ANYMORE.

Narrator: THEY APPEAR TO BE LUMPS,

BUT EACH IS A TINY BUDDHA STATUE,

ENLARGED AND OBSCURED BY COUNTLESS LAYERS OF GOLD FOIL.

[RINGING]

THE FOUR STATUES ARE CAREFULLY CARRIED OFF THE BOAT

AND BECOME THE FOCUS OF A HUGE PROCESSION

TOWARDS THE VILLAGE SHRINE.

THIS IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE FESTIVAL,

GETTING TO SEE THE ACTUAL RELICS OF A STORY

THAT BURMESE LEARN AS CHILDREN AND KNOW BY HEART.

IT IS SEARED INTO BUDDHIST CULTURE

AND COUCHED IN ANCIENT MYTHOLOGY.

IN THE 12th CENTURY, BURMA WAS NOT YET A COUNTRY.

IT WAS A PATCHWORK OF KINGDOMS AND DYNASTIES.

THE MOST IMPORTANT WAS THE PAGAN DYNASTY,

LED BY KING ALAUNGSITHU.

LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THIS ERA, BUT A MYTH AROSE

THAT THE KING CARVED FIVE SMALL WOODEN IMAGES OF BUDDHA.

FOR CENTURIES, THEY WERE ENSHRINED

IN VARIOUS CAVES AND PAGODAS AROUND INLE LAKE.

THEY FINALLY ARRIVED AT THE PHAUNG DAW OO PAGODA

IN THE 1900s.

♪

WHEREVER THEY TRAVELED,

WORSHIPERS PLACED SMALL AMOUNTS OF GOLD FOIL ON THE BUDDHAS.

FOR CENTURIES, THE STATUES GREW IN SIZE

AND IN MYTHICAL IMPORTANCE.

BUT RECENTLY, THEY WERE ALMOST LOST FOREVER.

IN 1965, DURING THE PHAUNG DAW OO FESTIVAL,

A STORM CAPSIZED THE BOAT THAT HAD THE STATUES ON BOARD.

ALL FIVE SANK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE.

A SALVAGE OPERATION RECOVERED FOUR OF THEM,

BUT ONE REMAINED MISSING.

Narrator: WHAT HAPPENED NEXT TOOK THE STORY TO ANOTHER LEVEL,

MAKING THE STATUES EVEN MORE SACRED TO THE BURMESE PEOPLE.

ACCORDING TO LOCAL LEGEND,

WHEN PEOPLE RETURNED TO THE TEMPLE

IN MOURNING OF THE LOST STATUE, IT APPEARED ON THE STAND,

WET AND COVERED IN WATER WEEDS.

TO THE BURMESE, IT WAS A MIRACLE.

♪

TO THIS DAY, AS THE GOLDEN DRAGON BOAT

TAKES THE OTHER STATUES AROUND THE LAKE FOR WORSHIP,

THE FIFTH ONE REMAINS BEHIND, SAFE INSIDE THE PAGODA.

THE MIRACLE JUST ADDED

TO THE MYTHOLOGY OF THIS PARTICULAR BUDDHA.

COUNTLESS THOUSANDS HAVE SINCE COME

TO ADD A PIECE OF GOLD FOIL, AN ACT OF MERIT

THAT HAS TRANSFORMED NOT JUST THIS STATUE,

BUT ALL OF BURMA.

Narrator: THE COLOR OF GOLD POPS OUT IN A LANDSCAPE

OTHERWISE LUSH WITH GREEN--

GOLDEN PAGODAS AND BUDDHAS.

GOLDEN DESIGNS, BOTH ORNAMENTAL AND INTRICATE.

GOLDEN OASES OF WORSHIP

IN CITIES AND IN THE COUNTRYSIDE.

GOLDEN ARCHITECTURE HAS BECOME BURMA’S CALLING CARD.

ANY ONE OF THEM IS A WONDER,

AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS.

HOW DID GOLD BECOME THE STANDARD?

BURMA IS IN THE HEART OF SOUTHEAST ASIA.

HUMANS FIRST INHABITED THE AREA 5,000 YEARS AGO.

THEN ABOUT 2,000 YEARS AGO,

DIFFERENT ETHNIC GROUPS BEGAN TO FORM SMALL KINGDOMS.

BY THE 15th CENTURY,

KING DHAMMAZEDI RULED LOWER BURMA

AND ERECTED BUDDHIST SHRINES CALLED STUPAS

AROUND HIS KINGDOM.

IN SOME STONE INSCRIPTIONS,

THE KING REFERS TO HIS LAND AS SUVARNABHUMI, OR LAND OF GOLD.

THIS NAME IS RECORDED IN ANCIENT TEXTS

DATING BACK TO THE FIFTH CENTURY.

TODAY, BURMA’S HISTORY IS ON DISPLAY AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.

THERE IS A WHOLE WING DEVOTED TO GOLDEN ARTIFACTS,

WORKS OF ART THAT SPAN CENTURIES

BUT ARE TIED TOGETHER BY TIMELESS CRAFTSMANSHIP.

THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF GOLDEN ARTIFACTS ARE ASTOUNDING.

SOME ARE EVERYDAY ITEMS.

OTHERS ARE ORNAMENTAL MASTERPIECES.

THE SOPHISTICATION AND INTRICACY OF THESE WORKS

REVEAL THAT THESE ANCIENT KINGDOMS VALUED ARTISTRY,

WITH GOLD AS A FAVORED MEDIUM.

TODAY, IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY THE COUNTRY’S IDENTITY

IS WRAPPED AROUND THIS PRECIOUS METAL.

♪

ASIDE FROM GOLDEN ARTIFACTS, THERE ARE GOLDEN SUNSETS.

IT SEEMS TO BE THE NATIONAL COLOR,

BUT ITS SPIRITUAL VALUE IS PRICELESS.

THE MYTHOLOGY OF GOLD LINKS THE ANCIENT TO THE MODERN,

WITH CREATION STORIES PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS.

♪

♪

Narrator: LEGEND HAS IT THAT THE BROTHERS, TAPHUSSA AND BHALLIKA,

WERE MERCHANTS WHO TRAVELED BETWEEN INDIA AND BURMA.

ONE DAY, THEY CAME ACROSS BUDDHA WHILE VISITING INDIA.

THEY BECAME BUDDHA’S DISCIPLES AND OFFERED HIM HONEY BALLS...

FOR WHICH BUDDHA GAVE THEM EIGHT STRANDS OF HIS HAIR.

THE HAIR OF BUDDHA WAS CONSIDERED A PRICELESS TREASURE.

THE BROTHERS GAVE THE HOLY STRANDS OF HAIR TO THE KING.

FROM HERE, THE MYTH EXPLODES INTO A MIRACLE.

CRACKS FORMED ON LAND, AND A STRONG WIND BLEW.

THE EARTH SHOOK, AND LIGHTNING STRUCK.

FROM THE SKY, JEWELS FELL LIKE RAIN,

AND THE PEOPLE WERE KNEE-DEEP IN GEMS.

EVEN THOUGH IT WASN’T SPRING YET,

THE TREES IN THE HIMALAYAS BORE FRUIT.

AMID THE BURSTING FLOWERS, THE KING BUILT A NEW PAGODA.

THIS CREATION STORY IS INTERTWINED WITH ACTUAL HISTORY.

ON THIS SAME HILL, AN ANCIENT STUPA WAS LIKELY BUILT

SOMETIME IN THE FIRST MILLENNIUM.

AROUND THE 14th CENTURY,

THE STRUCTURE WAS REBUILT, EXPANDED,

AND BY THE 18th CENTURY, TOOK ITS CURRENT FORM.

THIS IS THE SHWEDAGON PAGODA, THE MOST SACRED SITE IN BURMA.

THE SOLID GOLDEN DOME

IS A BEACON ON THE SKYLINE OF YANGON.

THIS WAS THE CAPITAL OF THE COUNTRY, KNOWN AS RANGOON,

UNTIL THE GOVERNMENT RELOCATED THE CAPITAL

AND CHANGED THE CITY’S NAME.

BUT SHWEDAGON PAGODA HAS SURVIVED THE TURMOIL OF POLITICS

AND HAS GROWN BOTH IN MEANING AND IN PHYSICAL SIZE.

SURROUNDING THE MAIN PAGODA ARE NEARLY 100 BUILDINGS,

MANY BUILT IN THE 19th AND 20th CENTURIES.

THERE ARE COUNTLESS PAVILIONS AND ENSHRINED STATUES.

BUT AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL IS THE MAIN PAGODA,

WITH A DOME WELL OVER 300 FEET TALL,

ROUGHLY EQUAL TO A 30-STORY BUILDING.

THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF THE PAGODA HAS CHANGED OVER CENTURIES,

WITH COUNTLESS CYCLES OF DISREPAIR AND RENOVATION.

THESE STONE SLABS WERE FOUND IN 1880,

UNDER SOME ANCIENT BRICK FLOORING

THAT WAS BEING EXCAVATED.

THEY DATE FROM THE 15th CENTURY,

AND THE INSCRIPTIONS HAVE HELPED UNRAVEL

SOME OF THE PAGODA’S HISTORY,

BUT EACH TABLET IS IN A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE,

AND DETAILS DIFFER BETWEEN THE STONES.

EVEN WITH MUCH OF ITS PAST A MYSTERY,

SHWEDAGON HAS BECOME THE EPICENTER

OF BUDDHIST DEVOTION IN BURMA.

EVERY YEAR, OVER 100,000 VISITORS ARRIVE AT SHWEDAGON.

SOME ARE CASUAL TOURISTS,

BUT MOST ARE BUDDHISTS COMING TO PRAY AND MAKE AN OFFERING.

THIS IS A WAY TO BUILD MERIT

AND HOPEFULLY HAVE PRAYERS ANSWERED.

THIS GOES FOR COMMONERS AND KINGS.

THROUGH HISTORY, ROYALS HAVE MADE TREMENDOUS OFFERINGS.

SOME THINK THEY WERE TRYING TO OUTDO EACH OTHER.

[BELL RINGING]

KING THARRAWADDY COMMISSIONED AND DONATED THIS BELL IN 1842.

IT’S CALLED THE MAHA TISSADA.

IT’S 8 1/2 FEET TALL AND WEIGHS 42 TONS.

ATOP THE BELL SITS A REMARKABLE FIGURE,

PYINSA YUPA,

WHICH IS A COMPOSITE OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS.

TWO KINGS LATER CAME ONE OF THARRAWADDY’S SONS, MINDON.

INSTEAD OF HEFT, HE WENT FOR SPARKLE.

KING MINDON DONATED AN ORNAMENTAL SPIRE FOR THE PAGODA.

SINCE THEN, IT HAS BEEN REPAIRED AND REPLENISHED

WITH EVEN MORE OPULENCE.

IT HAS THE SHAPE OF A CROWN WITH SEVEN LEVELS,

GLITTERING WITH PRECIOUS METALS AND STONES.

THE GILDED UMBRELLA CROWN IS MADE OF STEEL.

ADORNING IT IS AN INCREDIBLE ARRAY

OF GOLD, SILVER, AND JEWELS, AND, OF COURSE, BUDDHAS.

SET INTO THE WEATHER VANE ALONE ARE OVER 1,000 DIAMONDS.

COVERING THE SPHERE ARE 4,000 MORE.

AND AT THE VERY TOP, A SINGLE 76-CARAT DIAMOND.

IT ALL PUSHES THE CROWN’S WEIGHT TO OVER ONE TON,

AND IT SITS ATOP A HUGE DOME GILDED IN REAL GOLD.

EVERY PAGODA AT SHWEDAGON, BIG AND SMALL,

IS GILDED IN GOLD.

THE PRECIOUS METAL IS CENTRAL TO BUDDHIST CULTURE IN BURMA.

GOLD FINDS ITS WAY INTO EVERY CORNER OF BURMESE LIFE.

GOLD JEWELRY IS AN IMPORTANT TRADITION,

WITH EXAMPLES GOING BACK CENTURIES.

GILDING,

SCULPTING,

EVEN EMBROIDERING.

IF YOU CAN DO IT WITH GOLD, THE BURMESE HAVE SURELY DONE IT.

THE SKILLS TO WORK WITH GOLD

HAVE BEEN PASSED DOWN THROUGH GENERATIONS.

IN A COUNTRY THAT STILL BATTLES ENDEMIC POVERTY,

GOLD REMAINS UBIQUITOUS, FOR DECORATION AND FOR DEVOTION.

BUT HOW CAN THE AVERAGE PERSON

AFFORD A DONATION OF GOLD TO BUDDHA?

THE ANSWER STARTS WITH HAMMERS.

CRAFTSMEN TAKE A SMALL LUMP OF GOLD

AND POUND IT INTO A FORM AS THIN AS PAPER.

IT MIGHT TAKE OVER 1,000 STRIKES.

EVENTUALLY THEY ARE BUNDLED INTO REAMS OF GOLD LEAF.

THE PROCESS CONTINUES PIECE BY PIECE, HAND BY HAND.

WOMEN CUT EACH LEAF TO A UNIFORM SIZE.

THE GOLD LEAFS ARE PRESSED ONTO PIECES OF PAPER.

THEN THEY’RE READY FOR MARKET.

GOLD LEAFS ARE A BEST-SELLING ITEM IN BURMA.

AT ALMOST EVERY TEMPLE, PEOPLE ARE EAGER TO BUY THEM UP

AND GIVE THEM RIGHT BACK AS THEIR OWN GOLDEN OFFERING.

GILDING RELIGIOUS SHRINES BEGAN

WITH THE ABUNDANT RESOURCES OF ROYALTY

AND CONTINUES WITH THE HUMBLE HANDS OF MILLIONS.

PEOPLE HAVE COVERED STATUES, PAGODAS, AND TEMPLES,

ONE THIN LAYER AT A TIME.

Stadtner: BECAUSE IT IS SO PRECIOUS,

THIS IS WHAT TO OFFER.

IT’S A GREATER SACRIFICE.

AND ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT BUDDHISM IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

IS THAT IT’S VERY RECIPROCAL.

I GIVE THIS SHRINE SOMETHING,

AND I WOULD LIKE SOMETHING BACK IN THE FORM OF A WISH.

Narrator: COVERING SACRED TEMPLES WITH GOLD

IS A FORM OF PRAYER TO THE BURMESE.

EACH GOLD LEAF REPRESENTS AN ACT OF GIVING

THAT THEY HOPE WILL BRING MERIT

AND BE RECIPROCATED WITH GOOD FORTUNE.

THIS FORM OF WORSHIP CONTINUES DAY AND NIGHT,

FREE FROM THE SCHEDULED CEREMONIES OF OTHER RELIGIONS.

IN THIS PHILOSOPHY, MERIT ACCUMULATES,

JUST AS THE GOLD ACCUMULATES ON STATUES AND SHRINES.

BUT GOLD IS NOT THE ONLY GIFT.

THIS IS A TYPICAL MORNING IN BURMA.

AT 5:00 A.M., BUDDHIST MONKS FROM A NEARBY TEMPLE

GO FOR A WALK, AS THEY DO EVERY MORNING.

THEY ACCEPT FOOD FROM THE PEOPLE

WHO LINE THE ROADS IN A DAILY RITUAL.

THEY WOKE UP BEFORE DAWN TO PREPARE IT.

NOW THEY FREELY GIVE IT AWAY.

THIS ACT OF SHARING IS CALLED GIVING ALMS.

IT ISN’T CONSIDERED CHARITY AS MUCH AS A WAY TO BUILD MERIT

AND SHOW RESPECT AND HUMILITY TO BUDDHIST MONKS AND NUNS.

IT’S A CUSTOM PRACTICED EVERYWHERE IN BURMA,

AS REGULAR AS THE SUNRISE.

IT’S PART OF THE DAILY RHYTHM OF LIFE.

♪

THERE IS ALSO AN ANNUAL RHYTHM TO BURMA.

EVERY FALL BRINGS KATHAIN,

A FESTIVAL MARKING THE END OF THE RAINY SEASON.

IT IS CELEBRATED NATIONWIDE.

DURING THIS TIME, PEOPLE HANG EVERYDAY ITEMS

ON A STICK CALLED A PAYADABIN, AND DONATE THEM TO THE TEMPLES.

KITCHEN UTENSILS,

CLEANING SUPPLIES,

SMALL AMOUNTS OF MONEY.

♪

ANYTHING USEFUL.

THEN THE LOCALS CARRY EACH PAYADABIN TO A TEMPLE

IN A FESTIVE PROCESSION.

NEIGHBORHOODS, MARKETS, AND COMPANIES

EACH MAKE THEIR OWN PAYADABIN TO DONATE.

IT CREATES A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND SHARED PURPOSE.

IT ALL TIES INTO BUDDHIST IDEAS

ABOUT THE CYCLE OF GIVING AND RECEIVING

AND BUILDING UP MERIT.

DO GOOD DEEDS, BUILD YOUR SHARE OF MERIT,

AND BE REWARDED BY GOOD FORTUNE.

EVERY TEMPLE IN BURMA RELIES ON ALMS.

FROM THE FOOD THEY EAT TO THE GOLD THAT GILDS THE DOMES,

IT’S ALL DONATED.

♪

MANY OF THOSE WHO GIVE LARGER DONATIONS

ARE RECOGNIZED WITH INSCRIPTIONS ON TEMPLE WALLS.

LIKE THE ROYALTY OF HISTORY, PEOPLE WITH MORE MONEY

ARE EXPECTED TO GIVE LARGER DONATIONS

AND BUILD UP MORE MERIT,

AND THE MOST PRECIOUS DONATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOLD.

♪

IN THE 12th CENTURY,

A KING LEFT A MESSAGE INSCRIBED IN STONE AT A TEMPLE.

THIS MESSAGE ENCAPSULATES

THE BUDDHIST WAY OF THINKING ABOUT GIVING ALMS.

Man: "IN VIRTUE OF MY BUILDING THIS TEMPLE,

I WISH ONLY FOR GOOD FORTUNE.

I DO NOT WANT TO BE REINCARNATED

AS BRAHMA OR SOME GREAT GOD.

I DON’T WANT TO RETURN TO EARTH AS A KING.

I ONLY WANT TO BECOME A BUDDHA."

Narrator: CENTURIES HAVE PASSED,

AND THE WORLD IS FAR DIFFERENT THAN IT WAS IN BUDDHA’S TIME,

BUT THIS IDEA HAS SURVIVED AS A LINCHPIN OF BURMESE CULTURE.

Stadtner: THE MORE MERIT YOU ACCUMULATE,

IT’S LIKE A BANK, YOU’RE ACCUMULATING THIS MERIT,

WILL HELP WHAT WE CALL YOUR KARMA,

AND THIS HELPS YOU,

NOT ONLY IN THIS LIFETIME, BUT FOR THE NEXT.

Narrator: THE HOLIER THE SITE,

THE MORE MEANINGFUL THE DONATION OF GOLD.

THAT’S WHY THE SHWEDAGON PAGODA,

CONSIDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT PILGRIMAGE IN THE COUNTRY,

IS AWASH IN GOLD.

AS THE CENTRAL ATTRACTION OF A MAJOR CITY,

IT’S NOT HARD TO GET THERE,

BUT FOR ANOTHER IMPORTANT SACRED SITE, IT’S A DIFFERENT STORY.

THE ROAD IS LONG, NARROW, AND STEEP.

IT IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.

MOUNT KYAIKTIYO IS 130 MILES

FROM THE SHWEDAGON PAGODA IN YANGON,

FAR AWAY, AND ABOVE, THE BUSTLE OF THE CITY.

MANY DON’T WANT TO DRIVE IT THEMSELVES.

INSTEAD, THEY CLIMB INTO TRUCKS MORE SUITED

FOR THE DIFFICULT JOURNEY INTO THE CLOUDS.

SOME EVEN FORGO THE TRUCK RIDE

AND HIKE ALMOST SEVEN MILES UP THE MOUNTAIN,

MAKING THE PILGRIMAGE EVEN MORE MEANINGFUL.

RISING 3,600 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL,

MOUNT KYAIKTIYO IS A COOL RESPITE

WHERE PEOPLE CAN SEE A MONUMENT THAT APPEARS TO DEFY GRAVITY,

SHROUDED BOTH IN CLOUDS AND IN ANCIENT MYTHOLOGY.

[HORSE NEIGHS]

1,000 YEARS AGO, THERE WAS A KINGDOM

DEEP IN A REGION CALLED UPPER MON.

♪

ONE DAY, THE KING ENCOUNTERED A BUDDHIST HERMIT.

THE HERMIT HELD A STRAND OF BUDDHA’S HAIR INSIDE HIS HAT

AND OFFERED IT TO THE KING.

♪

IN RETURN, THE HERMIT INSISTED THE HAIR SHOULD BE ENSHRINED

IN A PAGODA BUILT ON A ROCK THE SHAPE OF HIS HEAD.

♪

THE KING ENLISTED A GOD

TO SEARCH THE WORLD FOR THE ROCK.

AT LAST, HE FOUND IT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN.

♪

HE HAD THE ROCK PULLED FROM THE SEAFLOOR

AND LIFTED TO THE TOP OF MOUNT KYAIKTIYO.

AFTER BALANCING THE ROCK ON THE MOUNTAIN,

THE KING BUILT A PAGODA ON TOP

AND ENSHRINED THE BUDDHA’S HAIR INSIDE.

THE HERMIT’S WISH WAS FINALLY FULFILLED.

THIS LEGEND MAKES THE KYAIKTIYO PAGODA

ONE OF BURMA’S MOST POPULAR SHRINES.

IT’S A NATURAL WONDER MADE SACRED BY STORIES.

THE ROCK IS 25 FEET HIGH,

BALANCING PRECARIOUSLY ON THE EDGE OF AN ABYSS.

TO THE HUMAN EYE, IT APPEARS BAFFLING.

TO THE DEVOTED, IT’S PROOF OF THE DIVINE.

THEY BELIEVE THAT THE ROCK STAYS IN BALANCE

BECAUSE OF BUDDHA’S MIRACULOUS POWERS.

FEW BURMESE QUESTION THE GEOLOGY.

INSTEAD, THEY ARE DEVOTED TO THE MYTHOLOGY.

THE MORE THAT A SITE IS SHROUDED IN MYTH AND MIRACLES,

THE MORE IMPORTANT IT IS TO PRAY THERE.

VISITORS HOPE THE MIRACULOUS AURA

WILL HELP THEIR PRAYERS COME TRUE.

A STEADY STREAM OF PEOPLE MAKES THE TREK TO THE MOUNTAINTOP

TO MAKE AN OFFERING OF GOLD.

GOLD LEAF IS FOR SALE IN NEARBY KIOSKS,

AND PILGRIMS APPLY THEM TO THE ROCK.

WITH THIS CONSTANT APPLICATION, THE COLOR RARELY FADES.

THE GOLDEN SHEEN IS ALWAYS BEING RENEWED.

THE GROUNDS OF THE SHRINE ARE OPEN TO ALL,

BUT ONLY MEN ARE ALLOWED TO APPROACH THE SACRED ROCK

AND MAKE A GIFT OF GOLD.

WOMEN WHO WISH TO MAKE THE GESTURE

MUST HAVE A MAN DO IT FOR THEM.

Stadtner: GOLDEN ROCK IS ONE

OF THE MOST IMPORTANT IN THE COUNTRY,

AND SO, CONSEQUENTLY, IT HAS THE MOST POWER.

Narrator: THE DEPTH OF THIS GOLDEN LAYER IS UNKNOWN,

AS ARE THE COUNTLESS NUMBER OF PRAYERS THEY REPRESENT,

BUT PEOPLE ARE FIRM IN THEIR BELIEF

THAT THEIR DIFFICULT JOURNEY WILL BE REWARDED.

LIKE ANY RELIGION, PRAYERS RANGE FROM THE GLOBAL TO THE PERSONAL.

♪

Narrator: THE GOLDEN ROCK STANDS MOTIONLESS,

EVEN AMID THE SWIRLING MYTHS

THAT TOOK CENTURIES TO EVOLVE AROUND IT.

Narrator: IN THE CITY OF MANDALAY,

ANOTHER BUDDHIST BEACON LIGHTS UP THE PREDAWN SKY.

AT THE MAHAMUNI TEMPLE,

THERE’S ALREADY A CROWD AT 4:30 IN THE MORNING.

THEY ARE HERE TO WITNESS

THE BATHING OF THE BUDDHA STATUE.

THIS IS A DAILY RITUAL,

PERFORMED EVERY MORNING AT THE SAME TIME.

[BELL CHIMES]

MANY BUDDHIST FOLLOWERS BELIEVE

THAT THE MAHAMUNI STATUE EXACTLY RESEMBLES BUDDHA.

THAT’S WHY MONKS BATHE IT EVERY MORNING.

AND PEOPLE SIT REVERENTLY TO WATCH.

IT IS EMBEDDED INTO THE DAILY RHYTHM OF THE CITY.

WITH AN EXPRESSION OF TRANQUILITY,

THE MAHAMUNI BUDDHA STATUE

IS THE SPIRITUAL CENTER OF MANDALAY.

MANDALAY IS A BUSTLING CITY OF OVER A MILLION PEOPLE

ON THE BANKS OF THE IRRAWADDY RIVER,

IN THE GEOGRAPHIC CENTER OF THE COUNTRY.

IT’S AN IMPORTANT RELIGIOUS CENTER

AND THE HOME OF MANY BUDDHIST MONKS.

THE MAHAMUNI TEMPLE IS THE CITY’S MOST FAMOUS SHRINE.

ITS NAME COMES FROM SANSKRIT.

"MAHA" MEANS GREAT, AND "MUNI" IS A REFERENCE TO BUDDHA.

TOGETHER IT TRANSLATES INTO "THE GREAT BUDDHA."

THERE IS MORE THAN ONE GRAND STATUE HERE.

OTHER IMPORTANT RELICS ARE ON DISPLAY

WITHIN THE MANY HALLWAYS AND CHAMBERS.

THESE EXOTIC BRONZE STATUES

ARE FROM THE KHMER EMPIRE THAT ONCE FLOURISHED IN CAMBODIA.

THEY SYMBOLIZE THE ROLE OF EMPIRE IN BURMA’S HISTORY,

AN EBB AND FLOW OF POWER

THAT SWEPT UP RELICS LIKE THIS IN THEIR WAKE,

RELICS LIKE THE MAHAMUNI BUDDHA.

LIKE OTHER SHRINES,

THE HISTORY OF THIS STATUE IS PART MYTH, PART MODERN,

BUT UNLIKE THE SMILE ON BUDDHA’S FACE,

IT HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN PEACEFUL.

THE LEGEND BEGINS DURING THE TIME OF BUDDHA,

TRADITIONALLY CONSIDERED TO BE AROUND 500 B.C.

ONE DAY, BUDDHA AND 500 OF HIS FOLLOWERS

VISITED THE RAKHINE KINGDOM IN WHAT IS NOW WESTERN BURMA.

THE RAKHINE KING WISHED TO HEAR BUDDHA’S SERMON.

THE KING WAS DEEPLY IMPRESSED BY HIS WORDS

AND CONVERTED TO BUDDHISM.

BUDDHA ALLOWED THE KING

TO CREATE A BRONZE STATUE IN HIS IMAGE

SO THAT THE KING AND HIS PEOPLE COULD PRAY BEFORE IT.

LEGENDS RECORD THAT BUDDHA HIMSELF COMPLETED THE WORK

BY BREATHING ON IT,

THUS INFUSING LIFE INTO THE COLD METAL.

IN 1784, A CROWN PRINCE FROM THE BURMESE EMPIRE

INVADED THE RAKHINE KINGDOM,

TAKING THE STATUE AS A WAR PRIZE,

BUT MOVING THE SIX-TON SCULPTURE BACK TO MANDALAY

WAS A COLOSSAL TASK.

AN ARMY OF MEN PULLED THE STATUE OVER THE RAKHINE MOUNTAIN RANGE.

THEN IT WAS FLOATED UP THE IRRAWADDY RIVER

TO BRING IT TO ITS FINAL DESTINATION IN MANDALAY.

IT HAS NOT MOVED SINCE, BUT IT HAS CHANGED.

OVER HUNDREDS OF YEARS,

THE BRONZE MAHAMUNI STATUE SUCCUMBED TO THE WEAR OF TIME.

♪

THEN IN 1884, A FIRE DESTROYED THE TEMPLE

AND MELTED SOME OF THE GOLD RIGHT OFF THE STATUE.

IT WAS RECOVERED AND RESHAPED AS A MANTLE ABOVE THE BUDDHA,

IN THE FORM OF A MONK’S ROBE.

TODAY, DAILY ACTS OF DEVOTION

CONTINUE TO CHANGE ITS APPEARANCE.

FROM THE NECK DOWN,

THE ORIGINAL STATUE IS COMPLETELY ENTOMBED IN GOLD.

THE MOST RECENT ANALYSIS

DESCRIBES THE GOLD TO BE ABOUT SIX INCHES THICK,

AN ESTIMATED 12 TONS OF GOLD,

ADDED ONE FEATHER-LIGHT LEAF AT A TIME.

THOUGH HISTORIANS GUESS THE STATUE’S ORIGINS

TO BE 14th CENTURY,

FOLLOWERS PREFER THE MYTHOLOGY OF THE IMAGE

DATING BACK TO THE TIME OF BUDDHA HIMSELF.

THE MILESTONES AND RITUALS OF BUDDHISM

THRIVE LESS ON HISTORY AND FACT

AND MORE ON MYSTERY AND FAITH.

BACK AT INLE LAKE, THE DRAGON BOAT ENTERS ANOTHER VILLAGE,

TRIGGERING THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION.

WOMEN PERFORM TRADITIONAL DANCES

WHILE THE VILLAGERS WAIT FOR THE BOAT

AND ITS PRECIOUS CARGO TO ARRIVE.

SUCH A GATHERING ONLY HAPPENS DURING THIS FESTIVAL,

MAKING IT AN ANNUAL SPECTACLE.

IT’S A MILESTONE OF ANOTHER PASSING YEAR.

IT DRAWS NOT ONLY LOCALS, BUT VISITORS FROM AFAR.

Narrator: THEY CAREFULLY TAKE THE STATUES FROM THE BOAT

TO THE VILLAGE TEMPLE.

THEN, THE FOUR BUDDHAS ARE REVEALED.

CELEBRATION TURNS TO REVERENCE.

FOR SOME, THIS IS A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME PILGRIMAGE.

TO JUST GLIMPSE THE PHAUNG DAW OO STATUES

IS SAID TO BRING BLESSINGS AND BUILD MERIT.

AN OFFERING OF GOLD ONLY MAGNIFIES THE DEVOTION.

IT IS TIME TO PASS TRADITIONS ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION.

EVERY FAITH HAS ITS ANNUAL RITUALS--

EASTER, PASSOVER, RAMADAN.

BUT THESE BUDDHIST RITUALS LEAVE A TANGIBLE LEGACY

THAT ALTERS THE ART OVER TIME.

THE GOLD BUILDS UP,

AND THE IMAGE OF WORSHIP BECOMES HIDDEN FOREVER.

LIKE THE MYTHS THAT SURROUND ALL THESE FAMOUS SHRINES,

THEY ARE FLUID WORKS.

IN BURMA, BUDDHISM IS ROOTED IN THE ANCIENT,

BUT IS ALWAYS BEING RENEWED.

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AT INLE LAKE,

THE BUDDHAS ARE BACK INSIDE THE PHAUNG DAW OO PAGODA,

SAFE FOR ANOTHER YEAR.

THE ANNUAL RITUAL ENDS,

AND DAILY RHYTHMS RETURN.

♪

BUT THE SPIRITUAL RENEWAL REMINDS EVERYONE

WHY SUNSETS IN BURMA ARE SO SPECTACULAR.

Narrator: MANY OF THE SHRINES AND STATUES OF BURMA

PREDATE THE COUNTRY ITSELF,

BUT THE RELICS ARE NOW PART OF ITS NATIONAL IDENTITY.

Stadtner: THE GOLDEN ROCK, OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE,

THE SHWEDAGON, A STANDARD STUPA,

AND THE MAHAMUNI BUDDHA, ALL ENSHROUDED IN GOLD,

COULD NOT BE MORE DIFFERENT,

BUT THEY EACH HAVE THIS ELEMENT

CONNECTING IT TO THE HISTORICAL BUDDHA,

AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES THESE SITES SO SPECIAL.

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