127AROUND BAGANFESTIVALS & EVENTSBAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMARFESTIVALS & EVENTSBAGAN & CENTRAL MYANMARMT POPAdren, and gets toy off erings during school
exam time. She’s the cute little thing clutch-
ing a green umbrella and a stuff ed animal,
midway down on the left of the shrine.
There have been a few Kyawswas in Myan-
mar spirit history, but the most popular is
the Popa-born Lord Kyawswa (aka Drunk
Nat), who spent his few years cockfi ghting
and drinking. He boasts: ‘If you don’t like
me, avoid me. I admit I’m a drunkard.’ He’s
the guardian of gamblers and drunks and
sits on a horse decked in rum and whiskey
bottles, to the right.
Locals pray to Shwe Na Be (Lady with
Golden Sides) when a snake comes into
their house. She’s the woman holding a
naga (serpent) near the corner to the left.
Mt Popa Temple BUDDHIST TEMPLE
From the nat shrine start up the steps under
a covered walkway and past the usual rows
of trinket and souvenir shops and shrines to
a revered local medicine man, Pomin Gawng.
At a steady pace it shouldn’t take you more
than 20 minutes to reach the top of this im-
pressive rocky crag crowned with a pictur-
esque complex of monasteries, stupas and
shrines. Along the way, you’ll pass platoons
of cheeky monkeys and a small army of lo-
cals selling drinks and endeavouring (not
always successfully) to keep the steps clean
of monkey poo – for this they’ll request a tip.
Views from the top are fantastic. You may
be fortunate enough to spot one of the slow-
walking hermit monks called yeti, who wear
tall, peaked hats and visit occasionally.
Popa Mountain Park HIKING
A variety of hiking trails thread through
the Popa Mountain Park, leading to the rim
of the volcano crater and to viewpoints and
waterfalls. Along the way, you’ll be able to
observe the diff erence in the vegetation.
The heights capture the moisture of passing
clouds, causing rain to drop on the plateau
and produce a profusion of trees, fl owering
plants and herbs, all nourished by the rich
volcanic soil. In fact, the word popa is de-
rived from the Sanskrit word for fl ower.
Trekking here is best done with local
guides. Ask at the turn-off , a mile or so back
from Popa village (towards Bagan), or en-
quire at the Popa Mountain Resort, half-way
up the peak. From the resort, the hike to the
crater takes around four hours.
If you come by taxi, ask the driver to
point out bits of petrifi ed forest, which are
strewn along either side of the road west of
Popa village. z Festivals & Events
Mt Popa hosts two huge nat pwe (spirit
festivals) yearly, one beginning on the full
moon of Nayon (May/June) and another on
the full moon of Nadaw (November/Decem-
ber). Before King Anawrahta’s time, thou-
sands of animals were sacrifi ced to the nat
during these festivals, but this practice has
been prohibited since the Bagan era. Spirit
possession and overall drunken ecstasy are
still part of the celebration, however.
There are several other minor festivals,
including ones held on the full moons of
Wagaung (July/August) and Tagu (March/
April), which celebrate the departure and re-
turn of the famous Taungbyone nat (Min Gyi
and Min Lay). Once a year, the Taungbyone
nat are believed to travel a spirit circuit that
includes Mt Popa, Taungbyone (about 14
miles north of Mandalay) and China. 4 Sleeping
Most visitors fi nd a couple of hours with Mt
Popa’s monkeys enough. However, there are a
couple of guesthouses in Popa village (rooms
about $15). There’s also the lovely, lonelyNAT MORAL: FULFIL YOUR DUTIES!Sometimes it’s hard being a nat. The namesake fi gure of the Mother Spirit of Popa & Nat
Shrine is Mae Wunna. She was famous for her love of Byat-ta, one of King Anawrahta’s
servants – a fl ower-gathering Indian with superhuman powers – who neglected his du-
ties and was executed for it.
Their two sons, Min Gyi and Min Lay, supposedly born atop Mt Popa, followed their fa-
ther’s tradition. They became servants of the king (often going to China), grew neglectful
of their duties, and then they were executed. King Anawrahta, however, ordered a shrine
built at the place of their execution (at Taungbyone, north of Mandalay), now the site of a
huge festival (see p 127 ). Many worshippers come to off er a blessing to these three. Mae
Wunna and her sons are the central fi gures facing the entry to the shrine.