19 August
At the end of last year I went to Kayah State given the name Silver Mountain Land where there were many mythical stories. In Myanmar language Kayah State was called Ngwe Taung Pyay. Translation being Ngwe = Silver, Taung = Mountain and Pyay = Land. That was my second time I’d been there. The first time was after I sat for matriculation examination. At that time my late-father was posted in Loikaw, capital of Kayah State and I lived there for two months. But that was more than 10 years ago and this time around everything was new for me again. Kayah State was the smallest state in Myanmar with an area of just a little more than 3,500 square miles.
I went to Loikaw passing through Htan San-Mwe Taw Kakku and via Loilem. I planned to visit areas around Loikaw and Dimawhso. Small cars were said to be the main traffic on the roads there. We passed by villages frequently and the views were great. The first place we visited was Htee Sel Kha Waterfall.
Htee Sel Kha natural waterfall
As we took the road from Loilem it was more convenient for us to stop first at Htee Sel Kha Waterfall. Before I reach it, I thought of swimming there. But on seeing how swift the water was flowing or falling, I didn’t even go near the water. The waterfall was not a huge drop like some waterfalls but more of several short shallow cascading drops. However, people should not jump into it at first sight. They need to observe and understand how the water flows and they must swim or dip into the water at designated places only.
The place was beautiful as it is but I think more systematic maintenance of the area would make it more attractive.
From there we went on to Loikaw passing the sign board wishing us a pleasant journey at the exit from Shan State. Our next stop is a landmark of Loikaw – Taung Kwe Pagoda.
Taung Kwe or Thirimingalar Taung Taw naturally divided into nine parts
Taung is mountain and Kwe is split in Myanmar language. One pagoda each was built on nine separate natural rocky outcrops. The first one was built in 1895 and one follows another and by 1950 all nine were built. The rocky outcrop or the mountain was 387 ft high. The first pagoda, Shwe Yat Taung Pagoda about 22 ft high was built in 1895. The second pagoda, Shwe Yin Aye Pagoda about 9 ft high was built in 1913. The two were then followed by about 9 ft high Kyaukthanban Pagoda in 1914, about 24 ft high Pyi Lone Chan Tha Pagoda and about 9 ft high Lower Kyaik Hti Yo Pagoda in 1929, about 12 ft high Upper Kyaik Hti Yo Pagoda in 1950 and about 14 ft high Shwe Pyi Aye Pagoda in 1950. The tallest pagoda Pyi Lone Chan Tha Pagoda was considered as the main pagoda.
The local belief was that lovers become separated if they visit Taung Kwe pagoda. May be an undue emphasis being placed on the split rocky outcrops. As the pagodas were linked by stairways, all can be visited with ease. The view of Loikaw from the summit of Tang Kwe Pagoda was picturesquely beautiful. It was indeed like a beautiful painting.
Naung Yar Lake
There isn’t much place to visit in Loikaw. Not too far from Kanthayar Hotel where we stay was Naung Yar Lake. There isn’t much to mention about this place except that it was a very pleasant place. The lake was like a garden with a wooden bridge linking the opposite shores of the lake. Pictures on the bridge were great and taking a walk over the bridge in the morning is encouraged.
Must visit Ngwe Taung Dam
Everyone consider Ngwe Taung Dam as a place to be visited. Ngwe Taung Dam was in Dimawhso Township. This was a place where the Land of Silver Mountain was said to have existed and it can be reached by car from Loikaw in about 45 minutes. The dam surrounded by mountains made it another picturesque place. The dam embankment had steps allowing a person to step down to water level. As I went down toward the water level, I could see snails at the water edge that I believe were edible snails. The water in the dam was used for household use as well as irrigation.
Dimawhso Market Day
Coincidently I was in Dimawhso when it had its market day. I was familiar with market days in Shan State so I was interested to learn about what was available in a market day in Kayah State too. Being a market day, the market in Dimawhso was said to be thronged with people. But as I arrived there around 10 am, the buying and selling were winding down and I didn’t see much that was different from the one I’d seen in Shan State. One peculiar sight that I saw was the local moonshine being sold in water bottles. The moonshines were placed in a huge plastic tubs before being poured into water bottles and put up for sales. Some buyers were also seen pouring it into mugs and having it right there and then.
Various levels of lives and styles
In Kayah State, towns like Loikaw had modern buildings but along the roads in Kayah State were villages that had simple wooden frame house with thatched wall. The houses were raised on stills with people living on the raised floor while the area underneath the floor was a cleared space. Within the cleared space underneath the floor was a raised platform where family gather just as modern family in modern houses gather in the living room and met with visitors. The kitchen and w/c was kept slightly apart from the house. In the yard, normally banana and corn were planted.
There were some Buddhist but the majority of the population were Christians. Quite a number of churches were seen in both the towns and villages.
Panpet Village and beauty of Kayans
Panpet Village was a new village. In Thailand, Kayan women were showcased as tourist attraction in specially built village. Now some Kayan women returned to their homeland and were settling in village like Panpet where traditional lifestyle of Kayan people can still be observed. Even though the tradition of placing brass rings around their neck had been declining and a woman or girl with such rings could hardly be seen nowadays, there still were small shops in village selling tradition Kayan clothing, paintings and handiworks that are attractive in its own ways.
These shops also have readymade clothing and brass accessories for visitors to wear like the Kayan and take pictures. There was a steady flow of visiting cars while I was there.
By Thiha (The Traveller)
Translated by Handytips
