Taung Kalat:

Monastery atop a volcanic plug

A Mecca for tourists and followers of the Buddhist faith, the Taung Kalat Temple near the Mount Popa which is 737 metres in height in central Burma (Myanmar ) is simply breathtaking.

At a glance the mount resembles Sri Lanka’s famous Rock Fortress, Sigiriya and we can even imagine that if the palace atop Sigirya built by King Kasyapa still existed it would have been as picturesque as Taung Kalat from a distance.

Would you believe that the Buddhist monastery is built atop a volcanic plug - a rock formation created by magma seeping from a volcanic vent? Of course there is no threat from it now because the volcano is believed to be extinct.To get to the top of Taung Kalat is arduous, as the mount has an approximate height of 1,500 metres.

One has to climb an astounding 777 steps to get to the top of the volcanic plug.

It is said that these steps and the temple were once maintained by the hermit U Khandi and the temple is still home to monks today.

As these amazing pictures show the temple is striking and the panoramic view from the summit is said to be stunning; the hillsides are always covered with flowers and fruit trees and a legion of monkeys (macaques), are said to generally accompany the visitors throughout the route.

One can see the ancient city of Bagan; behind it to the north, the massive solitary conical peak of Taung Ma-gyi rises like Mount Fuji in Japan.

There is a big caldera, 610 metres (2,000 ft) wide and 914 metres (3,000 ft) in depth so that from different directions the mountain takes different forms with more than one peak. The surrounding areas are arid, but the Mt Popa area has over 200 springs and streams.

It is therefore likened to an oasis in the desert-like dry central zone of Burma. This means the surrounding landscape is characterised by prickly bushes and stunted trees as opposed to the lush forests and rivers Burma is famous for. Plenty of trees, flowering plants and herbs grow due to the fertile soil from the volcanic ash. Prominent among the fauna are macaque that have become a tourist attraction on Taung Kalat.Due to its worshipping significance, this mountain has also been called Burma ˜s Mount Olympus.

The locals believe Nats (37 demigod-like beings) live inside Taung Kalat hill and judging by the heavenly views from up there, they just might be right.

Many legends are associated with this mountain including its dubious creation from a great earthquake and the mountain erupted out of the ground in 442 B.C.Mount Popa is considered the abode of Burma’s most powerful Nats and as such is the most important nat worship centre.

It has therefore been called Burma’s Mount Olympus. Accordind to one legend, brother and sister Mahagiri (Great Mountain) nats, from the kingdom of Tagaung at the upper reaches of the Irrawaddy, sought refuge from King Thinligyaung of Bagan (344-387).

Their wish was granted and they were enshrined on Mt Popa. Popa Medaw (Royal Mother of Popa), who according to legend was a flower-eating ogress called Me Wunna, lived at Popa.

She fell in love with Byatta, whose royal duty was to gather flowers from Popa for King Anawrahta of Bagan (1044-1077).

Byatta was executed for disobeying the king who disapproved of the liaison, and their sons were later taken away to the palace. Me Wunna died of a broken heart and, like Byatta, became a nat.

Their sons also became heroes in the king’s service but were later executed for neglecting their duty during the construction of a pagoda at Taungbyone near Mandalay.

They too became powerful nats but they remained in Taungbyone where a major festival is held annually in the month of Wagaung (August). Although all 37 Nats of the official pantheon are represented at the shrine on Mt Popa, in fact only four of them - the Mahagiri nats, Byatta and Me Wunna - have their abode here.

Facts and pix: Internet

Fact file:

* The local people call the volcano Taung Ma-gyi which means ‘mother hill’

* A volcanic plug (sometimes called a ‘ neck’) is formed when magma, on its way up through a vent on an active volcano, hardens inside the vent. While the volcano is active this could well lead to the mother of all explosions. However, the volcano is thought to be extinct.

*Many call the hill on which the monastery was built, Mount Popa, but they’re mistaking it with the much higher volcano, close by. The hill is called Taung Kalat.which translates to’pedestal hill’.

*Mount Popa is a volcano 1518 metres (4981 feet) above sea level, and located in central Burma (Myanmar) about 50 km (31 mi) southeast of Bagan (alt: Pagan) in the Pegu Range. It can be seen from the River Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) as far away as 60 km (37 mi) in clear weather.

*The Popa Taungkalat (Taung Kalat) Shrine is home to 37 Mahagiri Nats, or spirits. Statues depicting the Nats are at the base of the Shrine.

*The name Popa is believed to come from the Pali Sanskrit word ‘popa’ meaning flower

*Many Burmese pilgrims visit Mt Popa every year, especially at festival season on the full moon of Nayon (May/June) and the full moon of Nadaw (November/December).