All language subtitles for Wonders of Burma Series 1 1of2 Shrines of Gold 1080p HDTV x264 AAC MVGroup org

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.

♪

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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