Kyaiktiyo:
The Golden Rock That Balances on a Hair
continuedAmazingly, there is even a walkway under the boulder. As I passed directly underneath it I couldn't help wondering if, after standing there for thousands of years, the golden rock might decide to come crashing down just then.
Worshipers place gold leaf on the rock as a donation, but only one small part of the rock is accessible. So that portion of the rock is lumpy with gold. Each gold leaf is thinner than the ink on a printed page. While I was there a real hermit was applying gold leaf. He posed for a picture afterward. In most southeast Asian nations, hermits are rare and mostly exist in legend. But in Burma some men continue to live austere lives, often in caves, and are believed to possess magical powers. Legend has it that a snake was chasing a frog near a cave when they came into the presence of the resident hermit who was meditating. As they felt his peaceful aura, they both stopped in their tracks; the snake no longer felt the urge to pursue the frog and the frog felt safe in the presence of the hermit.
Worshipers place gold leaf on rock.
Hermit who applied gold leaf as a donation.
As I sat watching the rock and resting, a monk asked to have his picture taken with me. Then more and more wanted their pictures taken, and soon I was posing with whole families. One even put a baby in my arm for the picture. I'm still mad at myself for not giving them my camera and having them take my picture with it. For all the praying, meditating, worshiping, and offering, the mood felt like one of a big family picnic. In fact, many families were having picnics on mats on the marble foundation.
One of the families who posed for a picture.
