coffin exhibition, National Museum, KL

This exhibition depicts coffins and burial rituals from southeast Asia. It is at Muzium Negara, the National Musuem in KL, and is held in the exhibition hall until 18 July 2010. Entry is RM2 and you are allowed to take photos. Apparently there is a RM3 camera fee but I wasn't asked for this!

It starts with the archaeological section, with the hall designed to look like a cave with a wooden plank walkway. This was the most interesting for me, as it showed cave burials - Neolithic & Hoabinhian burials from Gua Cha, Perak Man, Niah Cave, etc.

Gua Cha Neolithic

& Hoabinhian

Perak Man, above and below -

Boat coffins are also featured, such as those from Kuala Selinsing in Perak, and from Niah Caves -

Jar burials started in Neolithic times, and the jars were placed in caves or even in trees. Niah jars -

Stone slab burials have been found from various sites in Perak.

There is a section on burial and funeral customs relating to orang asli - the temiar wrap the body in a mat and carry it in a bamboo cylinder to the burial site. Mah Meri use wooden planks and bamboo coffins.

animal head

Temiar bamboo litter, and Semai & Temiar grave (below)

Bateq place the wrapped corpse in a tree platform.

Mah Meri




The exhibition then turns to the modern ethnic/religious burials. Different Muslim burials are described - generally the Malay community does not use a coffin, except for the east coast coastal regions, as the sandy and marshy areas are not suitable for cavity burials. The coffins are plain with no decoration. There is a hand drawn hearse

Muslim bathing ritual

bamboo litter

Muslim footed wood coffin


Some Muslim wood coffins -

The Indonesian section shows the buffalo shaped coffins. The notice board also mentioned some with a pig motif, but no example was shown!

buffalo coffins from Indonesia

Coffins from Thailand weren't so well represented, with only a single notice board, with examples of a child's coffin -

Kalimantan Dayak coffin

modern Indian coffin

Hindu and Chinese get a small section, but I don't recall seeing much, if anything on Christian burials. There is a gold plated Chinese coffin.


Different tribes and areas from Borneo are represented, including a log coffin from a Sabah cave, and jar burials. There is an elaborate seladang shaped coffin from Sabah - these coffins have survived quite well as they are made of hard wood such as belian and were stored in caves.

ornate Kelabit coffins

Kelabit jars -

kinabatangan log coffin

Sabah jar -

Philippine burials are represented by a jar and also a rattan chair - the corpse is left to rot on the chair and later the skeleton is stored in a jar. The body fluids are collected in a basket under the chair and are dabbed onto family members for blessing.

Quite an interesting assortment of burials.



© Liz Price


No reproduction without permission

Madai Caves hidden depths - Star

STAR Weekend
Saturday July 3, 2010


Exploring the hidden depths

By LIZ PRICE



The Madai Cave proves to have interesting treasures outside, as well as inside.


To reach the main entrance to Madai Cave, you have to walk through a dark tunnel where there is a grave of an unknown person. None of the villagers know who was buried there.


Then you pop out of the tunnel and are surprised to see a cluster of wooden houses in front of the entrance. These belong to the nest collectors, the guardians of the cave.


Madai Cave is not as well known as the nearby Gomantong Caves in Sabah, or the caves in Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak. However, Madai has long been an important site for the birds’ nest collectors and is slowly becoming better known to tourists who are looking for adventure.

Leisurely life: A young villager does what comes naturally to him, chill.


Situated between Lahad Datu and Tawau, the hill containing Madai Cave rises steeply from the forest floor. It can be seen from far away, and you get tantalising views of it standing above the oil palm plantations. The final approach is interesting as you drive down a steep hill into the kampung.


A collection of wooden houses line both sides of the road, and the cliff acts as a scenic backdrop. You can see the gaping mouth of the cave from here. There is little activity in the village, except for women carrying buckets walking to and from the river to do the washing.


As we were on a research trip, we already had a guide arranged. We followed him along the narrow path between the houses. I was surprised to turn a corner and see a new mosque in the centre of the village. A collection of children appeared from the various houses, curious to see the Mat Salleh (Caucasian) visitors in their village.


However, none actually followed us up the staircase to the cave tunnel.


We assembled at the houses outside the main upper entrance. Washing was hanging out to dry, and there were wooden tables and benches in the central area. There is also another grave. This one supposedly belongs to Nenek Apui, who was one of the earliest inhabitants here.


There are more than 25 caves in this area, but Madai is the biggest and best known. It has a long history. The caves were first visited by scientists 60 years ago. They reported that the phosphate deposits from the bat and swiftlet guano were collected for use as fertiliser. However, a far older industry is birds’ nest collection. The local Idahan people have had the rights for collecting for many generations.



One of the houses near the Madai Cave.

The harvesting of birds’ nests is a well-known industry throughout Borneo. There are many limestone caves which are home to the swiftlets that build the edible nests. And nowadays, swiftlet farming is becoming a big business, whereby existing buildings are converted in “bird hotels”, and in some places new purpose-built structures are being constructed.


There is an ever increasing demand for birds’ nests for the culinary and medicinal markets.


In Madai, the collection is controlled by the villagers who own the rights. The houses at the cave entrance are mainly used during the collecting seasons. The locals are the guardians of the birds’ nests and use the buildings for sleeping and for guarding the caves to keep out unauthorised people.


Walking into the cave, I was struck by how big it was.


The ceiling is really high, maybe 130m, and the chambers are large. There are several openings high in the roof which allow a small amount of daylight to enter.


The boardwalk soon ended, and we were walking in guano. It was really quite slippery walking across these sticky, wet droppings, deposited by bats and birds. If you didn’t watch every step, it was easy to sink ankle-deep in this gooey waste.


And there were lots of small cockroaches running around in the guano, feeding on smaller invertebrates. Quite often, I had to brush them off my legs as they climbed up. All around I could hear the clicking of the swiftlets and chirping of insects.


There were a few swiftlets on the floor, and although they presented a good photo opportunity, it was sad to know they would not survive.

But in turn they would help to support the food chain within the cave.


I was quite surprised at the number of men inside the cave, considering it wasn’t yet collecting season. The collection is controlled and restricted to twice a year so as not to deplete the swiftlet population. There were few ladders hanging in the cave, but more would be installed when the collection began.


There are also one or two huts deep inside the cave, used by the collectors for rest and relaxation during the collecting season.


From this part of the cave, we slithered our way down to the lower river passage, where the river comes pouring out of the hill.


This was quite a spectacular sight as there are not many river caves in Malaysia. We were able to explore inside for a short distance. The cave is also an archaeological site. Pottery and stone tools have been found, dating back 8,000 years.


Pleistocene mammal fauna have also been found, showing that large mammals roamed the area all those years ago.


Madai Cave was used during one of the stages of one of the world’s toughest endurance race, the Eco-Challenge Sabah 2000, when participants had to climb the rattan ladders. The cave is certainly worth a visit if you are in that part of Sabah. However, bear in mind that it is not freely accessible to casual visitors — you need to get permission, and a guide from the village.


It’s worth the effort, though, if you are interested in seeing this little visited piece of Sabah’s history and nature.



Madai Cave

Getting there



Madai Cave is located between Lahad Datu and Tawau, near Kunak. Kunak is roughly 80km from Tawau. Turn off the Lahad Datu-Tawau highway at 69 km from Lahad Datu. Watch out for the signpost to Gua Madai. From the turn-off, it is about 2km to the village.



All buses between Lahad Datu and Semporna or Tawau will pass the turn-off to the caves. If you are lucky, you may be able to find a minivan to take you to the cave. But be prepared to walk back up to the highway on your return.



Permission



To get permission, it’s best to go to the District Office in Lahad Datu town. Alternatively, you can go to the Forest Dept in Kunak. You can also make arrangements with the Idahan elders in Madai village. They will arrange a guide, for which you should negotiate the fee payable.



Accommodation



Unless you happen to be passing close to the caves, it’s best to visit as a day trip from Lahad Datu and Semporna or Tawau, where there is a choice of accommodation.

Raub limestone hills being quarried

There are 3 limestone hills to the north of Raub - Serdam, Kechil and Panas. These are the start of a series of outcrops that extend up to Gua Musang. The Raub hills are only small, and 2 are being quarried, despite being important sites for snails and archaeological finds. In 1997 when I visited the Panas quarry wasn't in operation, although the hill had been quarried in the past.

The only caves I know are not very extensive, but I need to go and have a good look round.
Panas & Serdam -

Panas south end

Panas east side

northeast end of Panas

Panas east side

Poh Chan quarry

from southwest

Kechil

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Hushed Hpa An - Star

STAR

LifestyleHome > Lifestyle > Travel & Adventure

Saturday March 13, 2010

Hushed Hpa An

By Liz Prize

Away from the madding tourists, Cambodia’s Hpa An is a quiet town unaffected by development with plenty of temples and caves to explore.

I normally try to avoid eating Malaysian food when I’m overseas. So when my friends suggested going for a roti canai in the heart of Myanmar, I was a bit reluctant. Luckily, by the time we had found a hotel, got our rooms, had a shower and gone out to eat, the roti shop was closed.

So we had to look elsewhere. The only shops still open were those selling Burmese food, so we chose one that had the best selection of dishes in the window. It was obviously a Muslim restaurant, so I was surprised when the man who came to take our order asked if we wanted beer.

We ordered one each. Then I was even more surprised when the man recommended pork. I was also taken aback when I found he could speak a little Bahasa Malaysia, because he had worked in Malaysia before. We were in Hpa An which is the capital of the Kayin state in southern Myanmar. Many parts of Myanmar are still off-limits to foreigners, and although it is possible for tourists to go to Hpa An, very few do.

Kyaukkanlatt Lake Pagoda atop a karst tower. — LIZ PRICE

It’s a reasonably quiet town, with no high-rise buildings and not much traffic. It has a rural feel as ox carts and trucks laden with vegetables mix with an assortment of other vehicles of all ages and states of dilapidation.

The town centre has a large clock tower and one set of traffic lights. As with many towns, Hpa An’s busiest place is around the market, which is overlooked by the large red mosque. There are mosques, churches, chedi, and Chinese and Indian temples reflecting the diverse faiths practised here.

Some streets have Chinese restaurants, and there’s a small Indian section that includes the roti shop. The rest of the eating places seem to serve Burmese food. Fortunately, western-styled fast food hasn’t arrived here.

Hpa An lies on the banks of the Salween River (also known as Thanlwin). We wandered down to the river bank and found it to be a busy place with long boats going back and forth across the river, carrying people and market produce. There was a group of men playing volleyball. It was only 7.30am but people get up around 5am in these parts.

The sun was shining brightly by then and there were stunning views across the river of an imposing limestone mountain topped by a chedi. In fact, there are several limestone hills in the area, and each one has at least one chedi on top and usually a few more on the lower slopes. Some of these hills have impressive caves.

Saddan Cave is one of the most famous. It takes its name from a royal elephant that was close to the Buddha. There are two stone elephants at the base of the entrance stairs. You have to remove your shoes before entering the temple compound, sometimes at the car park. By the time we reached the main temple, our feet were dirty but nobody minded too much.

A flight of steps leads up to the cave, and the large entrance chamber contains a big reclining Buddha. Once you have passed the Buddha, you are allowed to put on your shoes again to explore the rest of the cave, which is quite long. We were lucky as the electric lighting was turned on, and we were able to appreciate the beauty of the cave.

Saddan is a fine cave, and goes through the mountain, with the far end overlooking a small lake.

Another well known cave temple is Kaw Ka Taung. Outside the compound, a long line of monk statues leads to the cave, which has lots of Buddhas. A group of locals arrived when I was there, and the resident monk switched on a tape of Christmas songs which was a bit incongruous in a Buddhist temple! I also noticed that many of the Buddha statues showed Buddha with his head tilted to the right, which I had not seen in other Buddhist countries before.

Each morning, before setting off for the caves, we would go to the market to buy lunch. I enjoyed going here as there was so much to see. The taxi stand was right in front of the mosque and consisted of a row of ancient-looking Mazdas. I wondered if they actually moved as they seemed to be there every day.

I noticed there was a collection of long red-and-white striped poles, and at the top of each was a hook and sheet of metal. Our guide told us this was firefighting equipment — a beater for the flames, and the hook was to pull away blazing timbers. As we walked round, I noticed that many buildings had such a pole outside.

The market was similar to others across Asia, with stalls selling fresh, dry and tinned foods, meat, fish, fruit and vegetable. There was an Indian area selling rice and spices, and another section for household products. Although there were only three of us, it always took ages to buy our food, as we’d get distracted and wander off to take photos.

Since we had hired a van and driver for our stay, we were able to choose our itinerary each day. One place we had to see was the archaeological site of Kaw Gon. This is a seventh century site, also known as Cave of the Ten Thousand Buddhas. Ten thousand is probably an exaggeration, but there were certainly hundreds of stone tablets carved high on the walls of the rock cliff, and there are Buddhas everywhere.

It’s the only place we visited that charged an entrance fee for foreigners — 3,000 kyat (US$3). As our car had been acting up due to dirty fuel, the driver placed incense sticks on the car wiper arms while we were in the temple.

The Hpa An area is dominated by Mt. Zwegabin (722m) and an impressively long karst ridge. Zwegabin is considered a sacred hill, and as with most hills in the area, it has many chedi and shrines and a pathway up to the top. We saw one hill near Thaton absolutely covered with white chedi. Some of the hill ranges have extensive forest cover whereas other outcrops have scant vegetation. Some of them have literally hundreds of chedi or stupa.

One colourful cave temple with hot springs around the base is Bayin Nyi Cave. As we parked the car, a few ladies tried to sell us cold drinks, snacks and souvenirs, so we knew this was a popular site. A shaded path runs alongside a pool and leads to the hot springs. There is a separate bathing area for men and women. The temple complex has a pool and lots of statues of various kinds and colours.

We agreed it was a really colourful place, and were amused by the macaques running around looking for food. One or two were sitting on the heads of the statues to eat their tidbits. Steps lead up to the cave, which also has many brightly coloured statues. The caretaker monk outside the entrance spent his time chasing away the macaques when they got too close.

Driving back to the hotel one evening at dusk, we were lucky enough to see a Thaipusam festival in a very small village. We had just missed the fire-walking but were in time to see the procession to the temple. It was quite tame compared to Batu Caves as there were no piercings, but the music and dancing of the devotees were enthralling. And the villagers seemed happy enough for three foreigners to walk amongst them and were willing to have their photos taken.

The last place of interest we visited in the Hpa An area was Kyaukkanlatt Lake Pagoda. This is an impressive solitary karst tower surrounded by manmade lakes. There is a pagoda on the tower and steps leading to the small temple halfway up. There were lots of white egrets flying around and settling on the islands, and the impressive Zwegabin mountain is right behind, forming a nice backdrop.

One of the best things about our visit to the Hpa An was the lack of tourists. We probably saw fewer than a dozen during our stay, and most of those were part of expensive tour groups. Hpa An is certainly a beautiful part of Myanmar, with some great scenery still unaffected by the developed world.

Getting there

The only direct flight from Malaysia is with MAS from Kuala Lumpur to Yangon. Alternatively AirAsia flies to Bangkok and then Thai AirAsia, Air Mandalay and Bangkok Air fly to Yangon.

VISA

Citizens of Malaysia residing in Malaysia must apply for a visa at the consulate of Myanmar in Kuala Lumpur (8C, Jalan Ampang Hilir, 03-425 16355). There is an express same day service, or a cheaper three day service. The 28-day visa is dated from the day of application, so don’t apply for it too early.

MONEY

Myanmar’s currency is the kyat. Foreign travellers are required to pay in US dollars for hotels, tourist attractions, rail and air tickets, ferry travel and sometimes for bus tickets as well, and are required to pay in kyat for most other transactions (trishaws, pickups, tips, food etc.). Take enough money to last as there are no ATMs and credit cards are rarely accepted. Take dollars or Euro in a range of denominations, and make sure the notes are in good condition.

COMMUNICATION

You won’t be able to use your handphone as foreign phones don’t work in Myanmar.

o For tourism info, visit the Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board, Traders Hotel, Level 3 — Business Centre, #223 Sule Pagoda Road, Yangon, Myanmar, Tel: (95 1) 242 828, fax: (95 1) 242 800, e-mail: mtpb@mptmail.net.mm or thwe@tradersyangon.com.mm or visit http://www.myanmar-tourism.com/
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