By Sheeba Muskaan
“When the waves at your feet gush through your toes, you know you’ve made the right choice”
Cultures play a significant role in promoting a destination; the culture followed by Mayanmar is valued and respected by all tourists. Phung Daw Oo Pagoda is an old temple that is distinctly esteemed, a monastery in the Inke Lake area. The Pagoda is famous for having kept the five images of Buddha that are ancient and are completely covered in gold leaf.
One can reach this absolutely stunning Pagoda by boat through Lake Inke that truly defines the beauty of nature. The Boats have a pier for parking around the Pagoda, the aesthetics lay in the whole process of reaching the pagoda through boat which fascinates and excites the tourists. Right in the middle of the monastery lays the breath-taking golden Stupa and an exquisitely placed ornament on the top.
The Pagodas are finely decorated with vistas depicting Buddhist stories and are doubtlessly thought-provoking. During this festival the locals of this place carry four out of the five Buddhist images in the karaweik boat and go across the lake, the images are regularly covered with gold leaf by men and have eventually become unrecognisable. This boat remains to be one of the most graceful boats. It has the head of the Karaweik bird and the tail at the back of the boat, this bird is mythological hence the boat looks divine in gold.
During this festival the five images are lifted from the Pagoda and placed into the royal boat which are towed by other longer boats and people that catches the attention of one’s eyes in awe. Dating back in time, the fifth image went missing and was miraculously found at the shrine and since then only four images are carried around throughout the festival in the boat. These images are precious as they are 800 years old and are a true definition for historic refinement.
This festival takes places during the months of October and November according to Burmese lunar calendar and celebrated as the most important festival for 18 days. The boat is taken around the lake to 14 villages with rowers standing upright on the boat who row with an oar attached to one of their legs. Tourists can visit this Pagoda from 8am to 6pm and it is easily accessible through a boat. During Buddhist festivals the Pagoda is comparatively crowded. Experiencing eternal spiritual festivals like these are the ones you want to participate and learn their emphasis and relevance for the people of a particular place.
Explorer Travel India 