Mt Popa

Situated isolatedly in the central part of Myanmar to the south-eastern tip of Myingyan District is a mountain by the name “Popa” deep in mysteries, legends and history backed by geology and geography. Its physical features and fossils prove that Popa is an extinct volcano of old age. To the most northernly direction of Bago Yoma hill range rising 4981 feet above sea level Mount Popa stands majestically. There is no other mountain near it. It is the only mountain sprouting out, with a volcanic crater on its top. In clement weather, Mt Popa is clearly visible from the Ayeyawady River about 40 miles’ distance from it. The northern section of its crater slightly slopes to the west and the eastern, southern and western sections are higher. Some people, perhaps with special vision, say that they can see the image of Popa from Myelat area and southern Shan state. The mystery of Mt Popa is that it gives four different visions if viewed from four different quarters. Two summits appear in the view from the western direction. But the northern view gives you the illusion of Fuji Yama of Japan, only one summit. Depending upon weather and your position in the other two directions Mt Popa appears in different shapes in your vision. In fact Mt Popa has more than one summit. No less than nine summits crop up on it, and they are given names befitting their shapes, the minerals they produce and flora and herbal plants that grow wild on them. Thus (1) Zaba Pon Taung Hteik summit is shaped like a heap of paddy, (2) Yey Kwin Taung Hteik Summit is the one around which water flows, (3) Maung Taung Ngot Toe Taung Hteik Summit is shaped like a stump paddy pounder, (4) Labo Taung Hteik Summit looks like the hump of a bull, (5) Hman Taung Hteik Summit has minerals that reflect like glass, (6) Sey Pwint Taung Hteik Summit has herbal flowers growing wild, (7) Sein Taung Hteik Summit produces industrial diamond, (8) Marlar Taung Hteik Summit has wild flowers growing and (9) Kinpun Taung Hteik Summit has Kinpun vegetable bushes. Many summits were formed by water flows through millions of years. On the main summit is a crater of extraordinary size — about a mile and a half wide and 2000 to 3000 feet deep depression which local people call “chone ma twin chauk is found there —several million years ago when Mt Popa was an active volcano it had erupted and from this depression sprewed up fire, flames, gas, smoke, ashes and streams of burning melted lava cascaded form the mountain. It seems that Popa had erupted only once and it cooled down to become an extinct volcano. Till today lavas of different sizes are found sprayed around Mt Popa and to a far distance. The lovely verdant Popa Myo (Popa Town) itself was founded on the lava land. To the southwest of main Mt Popa is an outcrop hill rising above sea level to the height of about 3000 feet. It is commonly known as Popa Taung Kalat (a hill in the shape of a tray with a stem). This grotesque formation stretches the imagination of the people to the other worldly realm. If Olympus is the sacred Mountain in Greece where ancient Greek gods and goddesses are believed to live, Mt Popa and its outcrop are the dwelling places of four nat spirits who belong to the Myanmar Pantheon of thirty seven nat spirits. But here the point of differences between these non-humans of the two cultures should be noted. In the case of the dwellers of Mt Olympus they were gods and goddesses, not human. In the case of the dwellers of Mt Popa and the remaining members of Myanmar Pantheon they were formerly humans who had really lived a human life. Because of their untimely violent deaths, their spirits lingered until they got dwelling places where they were venerated by the people as nat spirits. The Taung Kalat was formed by the natural cause of volcanic eruption and its age is very much older than those of nat spirit dwellers on it. Scholars opine that the name Popa was derived from a Pali word “popa” meaning flower. Because Mt Popa abounds in flowering trees, plants and creepers it is called “Popa” or Flower Mountain. There is another meaning. Popa was derived from another Pali word “Pubba” meaning “east”. Because the Mountain lies to the east of Bagan, so it was called “Pubba Mt”. Pubba Mt corrupted to Popa Mt. Two other names of this sacred Mountain are (1) Wizadaya Taung because alchemists, necromancers, magicians and herbalists hunted this Mountain to look for the minerals and herbal plants and experimented their occult sciences and concocted panacea, (2) Nagayit Taung, because Mt Popa looks like the shape of a Naga serpent coiling around it. The cult of nat spirits of Mt Popa began in the reign of King Thinligyaung (AD 344-387). He was the 5th king in the Bagan dynasty of 55 rulers. He had a dream in which the two nat spirits — older brother Maung Tintde and younger sister Myat Hla on a timber tree Saga (Champac) stranded at the harbour of Bagan on the bank of River Ayeyawady. They told the king that their abode the Saga Tree was uprooted and floated down the river by the order of Tagaung King and explained their tragic story. Maung Tint de, son of a blacksmith U Tint Daw of Tagaung kingdom was a strong mighty blacksmith who with his apprentices could make many iron weapons. So the king of Tagaung feared he might raise a rebellion against him when the king’s men were sent to arrest the mighty blacksmith, the latter escaped and remained in hiding. The king raised his beautiful sister Myat Hla to queen and told her that he would appoint her brother Minister of Interior. Believing the king she sent a message to her brother in hiding to come to the Palace. When Maung Tintde appeared at the court he was made Minister of Interior. Soon after that the king ordered executioners to tie Maung Tintde to the trunk of a Saga tree and burn him alive to death. On hearing this cruelty the sister rushed to the scene and jumped into the fire to die with her brother. The king hurriedly pulled her hair knot to save her. Only her face escaped the flames. Because of their violent death by fire their spirits lived at the Saga Tree, giving harm to any creature that came under its shade. The Tagaung King ordered to uproot the tree and float it down the river. If King Thinligyaung would offer them a place to dwell, they would guard his capital city. In the morning when the king sent his men to the harbour they found the Saga Tree stranded there. The tree was cut into two—the taller representing the brother and the shorter the sister—were taken to the summit of the main Mt Popa where they were enshrined. They were entitled “Ein Twin Min Maha Giri.” Ein Twin Min means Minister of Interior, Maha Giri means Great Mountain. Annual feast was held at this shrine in honour of them. The court and the people paid homage to them with offerings and ritual dances and music were performed. On either side of the Tharapa Gate of the palace city of Bagan are the shrines built into the brick walls Tintde on the right and Myat Hla on the left as guardian spirits. Thus began the first arrival of nat spirit dwellers on Mt Popa which therefore acquired another name “Maha Giri”. Saga Tree becomes the dominant tree in the forest that covers Mt Popa. Next came another nat spirit family to Mt Popa. It was in the time of King Anawrahta [AD 1044-1077] the 42nd king of the Bagan dynasty. Among his five brave knights-errant, Byatta was a speedy equestrian soldier who brought to the Palace ten times daily, flowers from Mt Popa — a long distance of over 30 miles. He fell in love with the resident of Mt Popa Mei Wunna. Her name meant a beautiful girl who had to be a flower gatherer or seller of the locality. But she was presented in the legend as a flower-eater ogress. They had two sons, Shwe Hpyingyi the older and Shwe Hpyinnge the younger. One day when King Anawrahta found out their secret married life, he was very angry. He would rather marry his knight-errant to a court lady. So the King put Byatta to death and Byatta became nat spirit. The King then sent his men to bring to court the two sons of Byatta who he adopted as his grandsons. Mei Wunna died of broken heart and she became nat spirit. Byatta and Mei Wunna the two spirits lived in Popa Taung Kalat. Their two sons who also became nat spirits after being executed by Anawrahta for negligence of duty were given them dwelling place at Taungpyone village near Mandalay. They did not live on Mt Popa and Taung Kalat. Only the Black Smith and his sister and Byatta and Mei Wunna lived on main Mt Popa and Popa Taung Kalat respectively. The remaining 33 nat spirits of the 37 Pantheon had their respective dwelling places and shrines in different parts of the country. But because nat festivals are frequently held at Mt Popa and Taung Kalat, the believers worship all 37 idols of 37 nat spirits enshrined in the pavilion at the time of the festivals it has become a common belief that all 37 nat spirits dwell in Mt Popa. Sacred Mt Popa and Taung Kalat were often mentioned in old Bagan stone inscriptions, tragic stories of the four nat spirit dwellers were told in history and literature, depicted in visual arts, and reenacted in performing arts. On the summit of Taung Kalat are many nat spirit shrines and Buddhist monuments. The late Hermit U Khanti had built a flight of covered steps leading to the summit from where you can enjoy a breathtaking view of a verdant panorama of the far and near distances around. Quite a sizable population of wild monkeys is at Taung Kalat, now so tamed that they would trick and tease you till you give them food. Only residing monks can control them. Folk tales and folk songs about Mt Popa say that there were 99 springs, falls and streams and nine stone bulls at Mt Popa. The Forest Department compiled an inventory of nearly 200 springs at Mt Popa in normal climate. Mt Popa is a sort of oasis in the mid of dry zone of the country. Now the entire area is forest reserve and sanctuary under the management of the Forest Department. Greening of the Nine Arid Zones project launched over two decades ago resulted fruitfully and the project has been extended to other arid areas. Along with the conservation and preservation of wild flora and fauna, there are now cultivation of fruit trees plants such as mango, jackfruit, banana, papaya, coffee as well as flowering tress and plants Saga, Tharaphi, gantgaw, pon-nyet and vegetables. With sufficient water supply from natural sources and dams like Kyet Mauk Taung Reservoir, and fertility of lava soil, green fields and farms of paddy and other crops around Mt Popa stretch out to the far distance. Nat spirit believers, nature lovers and summer vacationers find Mt Popa one of the most fascinating spots in the country. The Forest Department has its training school, park and museum up there. Myanmar Ecotourism provides all services for the visitors. There is a mountain resort — Mt Popa Forest Resort of world class facilities and services well known to the world with a year long queue for reservation especially in summer. Individual family houses of wood, bamboo cane and thatch but equipped with up-to-date facilities are nestled separately and isolatedly at the sides, on the slopes, in the valleys and on the summits of Popa with wild vegetation all around your house. A view point just opposite to Taung Kalat in the near distance gives you an extraordinary eye feed at any time of day and night. Especially night scenes are eerie and other worldly. In complete stillness, agreeably disturbed only by a cacophony of insects, flashed by glow worms, scented by fragrance of world flora wafted by a soothing breeze to your nostrils, and lullabyed with a faint nat music and occasional late night gangs, one feels as if one were momentarily transported into the realms of the 37 nat spirits. Sacred Mt Popa, though still shrouded in mysteries and legends has come out into the limelight of globalization. Reachable by land vehicles, — 63 miles from Meikhtila, 36 miles from Chauk, 48 miles from Myingyan and only less than 30 miles from Bagan—sacred Mt Popa lures you to tell all its mysteries and tales.