Page 134 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

132 The DelTa anD wesTern MyanMar Mrauk u and around
CHIN VILLAGE TRIPS
If you don’t have time to go and explore recently opened Chin State (see p.135) proper, then a
day-trip from Mrauk u along the sylvan Lemro river to a series of nearby Chin villages (none
of which is actually in Chin State) will give you a little hint of what you’re missing higher up in
those tantalizing mountains. There are a number of villages along the river where you can
meet people from this large ethnic minority group, who are best known for the practice of
tattooing the faces of their womenfolk. The practice was outlawed during the 1960s, although
2 in most villages you’ll see at least one or two older women with the markings – though every
year there are fewer left. Local stories suggest that this painful procedure (using a mix of soot
and buffalo liver) was intended to make girls less attractive to raiders, but more likely it was as
a mark of identity for the various Chin tribes.
The tattooed ladies are used to attracting attention: some of them produce handicrafts for
sale, while others charge a small fee to be photographed. Many visitors find the experience
uncomfortably voyeuristic, although money from tourism helps fund community projects
such as schools and water pumps (you may be asked for a donation) and provides much-
needed income to one of Myanmar’s most impoverished ethnic groups. day-trips to the
villages typically cost $80 for a boat seating up to four people (including guide), and the price
includes lunch. Fees for photography in the villages are negotiable. Trips can be booked a day
in advance via any hotel or tour company office in town.

Shwetaung Pagoda
• Daily 24hr • Entry covered by main temple ticket
It’s worth climbing the hill up to the Shwetaung Pagoda not for the temple itself
(which is just an average-sized, bog-standard stupa) but for what is probably the
definitive view of Mrauk U – particularly memorable at dusk and around dawn, with
the mysterious outlines of myriad stupas emerging from the early-morning mists in
every direction, and flashes of water between.
To reach the temple, head 100m down the side road that runs south off the main
road between the centre and the Prince Hotel, looking for a pink archway (leading
to a small monastery complex) on your left. Turn left off the road, go up to the arch
(but not through it) and turn left again along the wide dirt track immediately in
front of the archway skirting the monastery boundary wall. Follow this for around
20m, just past the end of the wall, and you’ll see a small, steep path on your right
snaking its way up the hill. Follow this to reach the temple at the top – a brisk
ten-minute walk.

North to Dhanyawadi and Waithali
The remains of two more of ancient Arakan’s former capitals – Dhanyawadi
(former home of the revered Mahamuni Buddha) and Waithali – can be visited
close to Mrauk U. To get to them, you can either hire a tuk-tuk and driver for
the day, or opt for a more organized tour of the sites arranged through your hotel
or a tour company.
Waithali

Hidden among rolling hills some 9km north of Mrauk U are the remains of the
ancient city of WAITHALI (also spelled “Wethali” and often referred to by its Pali
name, “Vesali”), founded in the fourth century and capital of Arakan (see box,
p.120) from around 327 to 794. According to the Anandacandra pillar (see p.122),
its subjects practised Mahayana Buddhism, although its monarchs considered
themselves descendants of the Hindu god, Shiva – a characteristically Arakanese
syncretism.

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