Thi Ho Shin Pagoda Festival

We are running around outside the pagoda or paya from one side to the other. No two more enthusiastic pilgrims have ever been seen. Why? Because we are shoe-less as one has to be, not just inside the paya but around the compound outside too. And, I learned a valuable lesson that marble is much cooler to walk on than large shiny tiles or even cement. We dart from one tree-shaded marble spot to another and find a bench beneath a tree: perfect to admire this outstandingly beautiful pagoda.

On all four sides of the main spire radiate identical smaller spires: each in gold too. I learn that in the old days these smaller spires were painted white with lime. But each wet season, the lime dripped away unattractively and had to be re-done. Now gold is used which lasts much longer and radiates the sun’s rays into the atmosphere.

The diamond shaped top of the hti or umbrella is always the highest point of a paya. It is of – and contains much - gold and many jewels. A portrait of this hti shows rings and earrings and pendants of rubies, sapphires and diamonds.

We walk the aisles inside the paya where there are many sitting or standing Buddha images. Each has its individual wooden ‘cupboard’ with a pane of glass sealed in front to keep the image clean. Pakokku is in Myanmar’s central arid zone and, particularly in the rainless season, dust piles high on everything.

The middle standing Buddha image at the main altar came from Thi Ho or Sri Lanka, which was known in the past as Ceylon. It was brought over at the behest of King Alaung Sithu in the 11^th century. It was constructed of 12 different woods including the Bodhi tree, Sandalwood and Pine. The images have recently received much attention and now stand tall, slender and golden.

A steady file of worshippers walk to the glass doors and then kneel to make their oblations. Their offerings to the Buddha are long white garlands of sweet-smelling jasmine. In earthenware pots lining the steps are pale blue lotus in which tiny bees are collecting nectar.

The enormously high ceiling is dark ruby-red with sprinklings of gold stars and golden devas that resemble angels. They are worshipping the Buddha seated beneath bamboo trees rather than the usual Bodhi tree.

The four massive gateways at the cardinal points of the paya are deeply embossed with intricate designs. In some little holes, small birds have built their nests. They fly in and out singing happily.

We give to a man who is begging as he has leprosy. His arms end in stumps: no hands or fingers. We cross his path later and I am astonished to see him shake some uncooked rice from one of his stumps to the other. Surely he is not about to eat uncooked rice grains. No, he scatters the seeds for the birds.

Mothers are teaching their toddlers how to sit and pay their respects on the occasions when they come to the paya. Their feet must point away from the Buddha and they should hold their hands in an attitude of prayer. Like most toddlers he has his own ideas, which do not add to the solemnity of the occasion. He prises his mother’s hands apart and then looks up at her with a look full of love - fitting for every occasion.

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