Beautiful and Unusual Taung Kalat Buddhist Temple in Bagan, Myanmar
The journey to the heavens might be a spiritual one but it often materialises a physical aspect, too. It is perhaps this aspiration to reach the world above that inspired Myanmar‘s Taung Kalat Buddhist Temple.
Devotees believe that Taung Kalat (which means Pedestal Hill), perched atop a volcanic vent, is home to four of the 37 Great Nats whose significance extends to all layers of Burmese culture and belief. In Burmese Buddhism, Nats are regarded as demigods or spirits who act as protectors of Buddhist practitioners. Some are guardians of the hills and forests. These deities inhabit the labyrinth of shrines, stupas and monasteries which sit tightly together just metres from the precipitous edge.
The Temple in the Clouds
Taung Kalat is located on the southwestern side of Mount Popa, a volcano situated along the Pegu Range in Central Myanmar. The locals refer to Mount Popa as ‘Taung Ma-gyi’ which means ‘mother hill’. In Sanskrit, Popa means ‘flower’ and it is common to find bottled flowers being sold as offerings at the temple. Taung Kalat temple rests on a volcanic plug at 657 metres (2,156 feet) above sea level and Mount Popa stands at 1,518 metres (4,980 feet) above sea level.
777 steps, said to be maintained by the legendary Buddhist hermit U Khandi during his lifetime, spiral around a monolith of hardened lava, and wind past stalls and hawkers before leading to the golden-domed complex. The view as far as the eye can see is serenely beautiful – just verdant greenery, ochre earth and simply heavenly. It is easy to understand why the place is said to be the abode of divine beings.
It is not just the flora that captivates visitors, though; the unique fauna comprises colourful birds and butterflies as well as a population of 2,000 macaque monkeys that lends character to the place. Confident in the knowledge that they are completely safe in the vicinity of a Buddhist temple, the macaques often pilfer food and small trinkets from distracted visitors.
Novice monks, many who are not even teenagers, train at Taung Kalat. They can be recognised from their robes of light pink. A much rarer sight are yetis. No, not the Abominable Snowman but the hermit monks whose uniform includes a tall peaked cap. They glide slowly and silently across the grounds, minds in contemplation.
Each building and shrine can have numerous entrances and exits. Coupled with the symmetrical architecture of the buildings, it can be disorientating for visitors.
Related Legends
The legends of the Nats have their origins in the country’s pre-Buddhist animistic religion that was later merged with the Buddha’s teachings. Each Nat is the spirit of a person who died an unnatural or violent death. Nats became exalted as supernatural beings with powers to help those who prayed to them. The site has been used for animal sacrifices to these spirits for over a thousand years before Buddhism established a foothold.
Visitors to Taung Kalat are advised to pay heed to local warnings whilst on hills and mountains – avoid wearing anything that is red, black or green in colour, abstain from carrying meat especially pork and do not harbour harmful thoughts against others whilst on such sacred and mountainous grounds.
Getting There
The town nearest to the Taung Kalat Temple is Bagan. It might be only 50 km away but the journey takes about three hours because the roads are not well maintained. Because there is no shortage of visitors to the temple, finding a ride is easy.
The best time to visit Taung Kalat is from October, when the monsoons are over, to March which coincides with the Mount Popa Nat Festival, a celebration of the ascension of two brothers who were reincarnated as Nats. The two other major festivals are the full moon celebrations of Nayon and Nadaw. Nayon falls at the end of May or beginning of June while Nadaw is at the end of November or beginning of December.
An entrance fee of around US$5 per person may be charged although this does not seem to be rigorously enforced. You can pack food and drink for the drive from Bagan or buy them (mostly local Burmese cuisine) from the stalls at the base of the stairs.
VIDEO: Popa Taung Kalat, Myanmar
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More Images
Pagodas dot the grounds of Taung Kalat temple
At the base of Taung Kalat temple
Vendors can be seen selling a variety of food and beverages at the many entrances to the temple
One of the entrances that leads to the start of the climb to the main temple of Taung Kalat
Along the 777 steps to the temple, stalls sell a variety of souvenirs, lucky charms and status of Nats.
Offerings of money and fruits to the Buddha
The worship of the four great Nats takes place in the inner shrine at the main temple
One of the shrines at the main temple dedicated to the worship of the Buddhas
An elaborate shrine at the entrance of Taung Kalat
Another beautiful shrine in Taung Kalat’s main hall
Buddhism is practised alongside the worship of Nats in Myanmar as depicted by this altar to both the Buddha and two of the Great Nats
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Beautiful and unusual Taung Kalat Buddhist Temple in Bagan,Myanmar. Amazing place and striking Buddhist complex of stupas, shrines and monasteries built on top of a tall volcanic plug. This Buddhist Monastery is built on a tall volcanic plug and is one of a tourist and pilgrimage site in the vicinity of nearby Mount Popa. The Buddhist monastery lies magnificently on top of an extinct volcano plug which rises up to a height of 1518 meters. To reach the monastery, there is a fleet of steps of 777 steps to reach the summit and will encounter some monkeys along the way too. From the top, one can enjoy a panoramic view of the ancient city of Bagan and the majestic Mount Popa, the volcano responsible for the formation of Taung Kalat.
I have not been to there yet, would to visit such a magnificent panorama which extends across the plains to the Rakhine hills, rising from the dust haze on the horizon.
Thank you Rinpoche for this interesting sharing.
Different countries has evolved different lineage of Buddhism practices. Nats act as protectors of Theravada Buddhism practitioners, while in Tibetan Buddism, the protectors are Dorje Shugden, Mahakala, Palden Lhamo etc. I found the appearances of the protectors are so different in the development of different cultures groups.
Some Nats are guardians of the hills and forests. In Taung Kalat, people celebrate two other major festivals such as the full moon celebrations of Nayon and Nadaw. The full moon is a powerful time to perform ceremonies and healing work because the moon’s energy is strongest. Surrounded by Nats, the beauty of Taung Kalat at night must be serenely beautiful too.
Taung Kalat which is one of the most spiritual destinations of Myanmar.Devotees believe that Taung Kalat perched a top a volcanic vent, is home to four of the 37 great Nats whose significance extends to all layers of Burmese.
The view as far as the eye can see is serenely beautiful just verdant greenery,ochre earth and simply heavenly.Thank you so much for sharing this nice article with us.
Good to learn about the legends of the Nats who had their origins in the Burmese country as the local animistic religion one thousand years before Buddhism emerged. Nat is the spirit of a person who died an unnatural or violent death, who became supernatural beings with power to help those who prayed to them. Taung Kalat Buddhist Temple in Bagan, Myanmar is seated on the site that had been used for animal sacrifices to the Nats spirits. Very unusual indeed. Thank you for this sharing, Rinpoche & team.
What a spectacular location for a temple. It’s very interesting how the shamanistic beliefs have evolved to include Buddhism and the legendary Nats have become protectors of Buddhism practitioners! The deities in the temple with its mixture of Buddha’s and Nats certainly reflect the Burmese culture. What a great place to practice as a hermit monk notwithstanding the hordes during festivals. Very holy!
It will certainly be a worthwhile place to visit even if it means having to climb 777 steps to get to the top with many breaks to stop for souvenirs!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful place! I certainly would not have known about it otherwise.
Looking forward to visit Myanmar one of this days. Heard a lot from friends about the beauty and amazing temples over there. Well this beautiful and unusual Taung Kalat Buddhist Temple will definitely on my list. Seeing the four of the 37 Great Nats will be wonderful. Wow …going up the 777 quite steep steps is a challenging for everyone. So the legendary Buddhist hermit U Khandi was somehow related to this beautiful temple. Visiting the golden Buddhist shine on top of Mount Popa will be great and one could excellent views in all directions. Taung Kalat,which is one of the most spiritual destinations of Myanmar . A place of worship 37 legendary gods with the story about the spirit . Sound interesting.
Thank you Rinpoche for this great sharing.
Very interesting and beautiful article about this Buddhist temple in Bagan. I have heard from my neighbour’s son making repeated trips to Bagan for pilgrimage and he loves this beautiful place very much. Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for sharing this article and beautiful pictures.???