To the mouth of Mt. Popa volcano

To the mouth of Mt. Popa volcano

By Maung Tha (Archaeology)

            The view of Mt. Popa on the road to it after driving past Kyaukpadaung Town was a spectacular sight. The solitary extinct volcano rising up to a height of 4,981 ft. above sea level makes it distinct in the flat plains of central Myanmar. It is a well known and a major attraction for both locals and foreigners alike.

            Mt. Popa is an extinct volcano in central Myanmar near Bagan and on a clear day, it can be seen from the bank of Ayeyawady River 37 miles away from it. It is 10 miles northeast of Kyaukpadaung Town in Mandalay Region, 405 miles from Yangon and 31 miles southeast of Bagan. Experts estimated the last eruption to be about 250,000 years ago. The mouth at the top of the extinct volcano was about a miles wide and drops down to a depth of 2,650 ft. The gorge or chasm was known as Chone Ma Twin gorge.

Attraction for researchers, devotees and visitors

            Mt. Popa is an attraction for students and researchers of geology, history, zoology, biology, forestry etc. as well as for religious devotees, curious and casual local and foreign visitors.

            Along the southwest slope of Mt. Popa is a pedestal hill, a sheer-sided volcanic plug, known locally as Taung Kalat, rises 2,156 above sea level. This was a place of legends and beliefs where believers, devotees, curious and casual local and foreign visitors flock to. Myths, legends, facts and fictions of Myanmar’s first kingdom Bagan was closely associated with Mt. Popa and this Taung Kalat.

            Deforestation almost completely wipes out vegetation and wild life in the Mt. Popa region but a successful reforestation campaign started more than half a century ago restored the vegetation and wild life to such an extent that it now had become a place for zoology, biology and forestry students, experts and enthusiasts to visit and study. Popa is home to 10 mammal species including monkey and wild cats, 100 species of butterflies, 175 species of brides, 360 types of herbs with medical values, 84 species of orchids, and several bird species including rare and endangered one.

Hiking to the mouth

            Most visitors came to Taung Kalat while the mountain itself was a place for students and experts to visit, study and research. However, it’s been some years since hikes up the mountain was arranged between December 21 and 25. It was not a very well known activity but it had been growing in popularity among locals as well as foreign visitors year by year and this was what brought me to the mountain.

            Majority of the hikers were from nearby townships of Kyaukpadaung, Myingyan and NyaungU. Christmas was the day when most climbers or hikers hiked up the mountain. They were ordinary people who came just for fun and were not mountaineers, a native or inhabitant of a mountainous region or a person who climb mountains for sports. They came in groups to enjoy the hike in the cool December weather. As it was a memorable hike for all, more and more were participating in the annual hike up Mt. Popa. The hikers take the jungle trail on the left side of the road just before reaching Popa Mountain Resort. Popa Mountain Resort is on the side of Mt. Popa overlooking Taung Kalat.

            My hike up the mountain was arranged by Journey Plan Travel from Yangon and we went along with a group organized by Bagan Hotelier and Bagan Tour Guide groups.

            We left our hotel in Popa Town by car passing through Popa Lwin and Gyaing villages and arrived at a natural pozzolan factory. Pozzolan is a natural product rich in silica and aluminous materials and were found volcanic ash. Contact with water made it harder and harder to it was used in constructing canals and dams to strengthen the structures said Bagan Hotelier Group Chairman U Zaw Wate.

            After 10 minutes drive from pozzolan factory brought us to Taung Paw Village (south). There were two Taung Paw Villages, south and north of which Taung Paw Village (south) was beside the road leading to the mountain top. It had more than 500 households and majority of the villagers were farmers growing banana, peanut, tomato etc. Even though the village name in English would be mountain top village (Taung = mountain, Paw = on or top), we were actually at the start of our hike up the mountain.

            The cars were parked at the exit of the village and our hike up the mountain starts there and then. On departing the village, we went past farm lands were individual lands were demarcated by stone hedges. The stone hedges were made putting big stone at the bottom with smaller one place on top. That was a strange sight for me. Being a volcanic area, the place had many stones that were formerly lava spewed out by the volcano. These volcanic stones littered the area around the volcano to a considerable distant.

            After passing the farm lands, the tract became narrower and our group had to walk in a single file. The hike up the mountain wasn’t steep but long so many of our group members stop frequently to rest.

            The mountain path was through thin forest that had become a habitat for monkey, wild pigs and deer said U Thein Win from Forest Department who was in our group. We hiked up slow and steadily and reached the mouth of the volcano in about an hour and half.

            On the plateau near the summit of the mountain was a Forest Department station where we rest briefly and then continue down the crater of the volcano locally known as Chone Ma Twin gorge. The descent was a bit steep. Before I was there I read about the crater being surrounded by three peaks looking up from the crater but when I was there, I saw four peaks or summits surrounding the crater. As in the case of many peaks or summits in Myanmar each peak or summit here had a pagoda on top of it. We briefly look around inside the crater and then return back to the Forest Department station without climbing further up to the summit of the mountain.

            As we descended the mountain, we passed by many farm lands. In some farm houses, we also saw dragon fruits grown on a concrete pillar. As dragon fruit fetches good price, many household grow it in a small scale.

            Kyaukpadaung Township where Mt. Popa is located was bordered by Meiktila Township and Mahlaing Township in the east, Nyaung U and Chauk townships in the west, Natmauk Township in the south and Taungtha Township in the north. It is easily accessible by good road connections. With its diverse and good eco-system, pleasant climate all year round and scenic natural view, local and foreign visitors can visit it all year round. Arranging new activity like our hike up Mt. Popa was a good way of making this place more attractive. – Translated by Handytips