The online culture reigning supreme in Myanmar today, there is little material better than capturing a foreigner seeming to behave just below the standards they are deemed to be held to. This includes anything from hand-holding to less than modest dress to picture-taking at various Buddhist sites. Unfortunately, the mirror is rarely if ever held back to careless behavior in the local community. Take this example (https://bit.ly/2Qrzq38), created by the company "Perfect Date For You", in which a Mandalay dating service is charging 5,000 kyat to pair college-aged Burmese singles with one another. The backdrop for this flirtatious fun? Kuthodaw Pagoda in Mandalay, whose 729 marble slabs were meticulously carved in the 19th century under King Mindon, and house the entire of the Tipitaka, the whole of the Pali Canon, thus protecting and enshrining the liberating words of the Buddha. Where the color of one's skin or the flag on one's passport gives or denies license to follow or degrade the Buddha's teachings, there is a fundamental problem. That this dating service is flaunted and promoted so freely online with no criticism to speak, and where a photograph or dress by a foreigner is enough to (literally) threaten their safety and demand their removal from the country, such a double standard is harmful for all followers of the Buddha.
By 1850, King Mindon began to build fortifications along the Ayeyarwaddy River to prepare for the expected skirmishes to come with British troops. In 1885, three forts were built in a triangle in attempt to trap oncoming British soldiers, and were considered the last line of defense before the royal capital of Mandalay. Asaygan was one of these three, designed in the shape of a semi-circle, with walls nine feet high with holes for rifle fire (except for the south-facing wall). In the end, however, the forts were never used because the King and Parliament ordered its troops not to resist when the British did eventually come; indeed, when the advancing Colonel White arrived to disarm the populace, he was given a dinner by the newly surrendered Burmese commander. Sir Herbert White writes in A Civil Servant in Burma, “The fall of Mandalay had been so sudden that it had not yet been realized in rural places, and the forces of opposition had not yet been organized. Very soon the turmoil began. It was then long before officers were able to travel without escort in Upper Burma.”
The inexorable march of tropical greenery has invaded even the innermost fortifications, but amidst this one can find some old cannons and the original walls. On the Sagaing side there are tombstones of British soldiers who died in some minor skirmishes in 1885 in spite of the overall peaceful surrender of Burmese forces.
Obviously, this fort is not really related to Buddhist practice in any way. So unless one is a history buff, it may not be worth the detour, and there are certainly no conducive sites for a sitting. But if one does go, the crows can be quite bad here during the cool season, so a laser is recommended. Admission to the fort is free.
