We finally got a break from the slightly touristy handicraft appreciation tour when our boatman brought us to one of the more important pagodas in the Inle Lake area. This is the Phaungdawoo Pagoda. The exterior of the pagoda isn’t really that impressive, it reminds me of that pagoda in Nyaungshwe, though this one seem to be more significant. It was already noon when we got there, so despite the altitude of Inle Lake, it was still scorching hot.
As a result the ground was likewise scortching hot, not the best condition for pagoda exploring since it needs to be done bare foot. From the docks there was a cooler marble pathway to the pagoda, however, it was also hot, just a little cooler than the rest of the area. So I hopped skipped and jumped my way to the pagoda. Apparently, they can keep your footwear for a fee, I rather not, since mine has velcro, i just brought it with me.
As with most Burmese temples, the inside of the pagoda is a brilliant shade of gold. The main feature is four golden figures with are being venerated. It is not easy to tell when those figures represent since they only looked like featureless blobs. It turns out these are four statues of Buddha with a thick layer of gold leaf on it. The layer of gold leaf is so thick that the Buddha statues no longer look like Buddha statues.
The story of the figures is painted on the walls of the pagoda, it was like reading a comic book. There were a lot of locals visiting the pagoda and it seems that we were the only tourists around. Incidentally, my companion wanted to get a closer look at the statues but a sign saying “Females are prohibited” turned her back. Honestly, I don’t get the reason for discrimination when it come to religion, and this do not only include Buddhism. Most major religions have some sort of gender discrimination and I don’t think they will be changing any time soon.
Although there weren’t any tourists visiting the pagoda, there were a lot of souvenir items on sale outside the pagoda building. There were also refreshments for the weary. I guess you can never keep them away. So after signalling to my boatman that I’m ready, I hopped, skipped and jumped my way back to the dock where he was already waiting. Fortunately, for me the boat was nowhere as hot as the ground.
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