The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-05-09
Ancient City Of Pagan
An Interesting Ruin

at had just come down the IRA
waddy by steamer from Mandalay,
and very early ON the second MORN
ing had reached Nyaungoo." writes A.
Hugh Fisher in Through India and
Burmah" There was no mist and
the stars were bright Cocks crow
ed and dogs barked.
when the steamer moved slowly
away. and my servant were left,
little before dawn, upon the steep
sandy bank pitted with innumerable
foot-treads.
"Tambusami had laid In food sup
plies at Manda1ay, and dividing our
selves and our belongings between two
bullock-carts at the top Of the bank,
we jolted along the road through Ny
aungoo. The higher clouds were just
caught by the new daylight as we
passed under the tamarind trees of
the village The walls of the houses
were mere screens of plated bam-
boo, though often there was also an
outer fence of bamboo posts six feet
high.
"a wan amber light now began to
battle the tops of a grove Of fifty
foot toddy-palms.
After leaving the village began
to pass tall cactus hedges and then
a. dilapidated pagoda with old grim
ming leogryphs, pale lemon in color,
and a gilded dome. There were
broken masses of crumbling red
brick, and under the now dove-col-
topped votive poles cleaned bril-
liant Then the road entered the
district of myriad ruins and long
80 p,,r ~
violet and fiery orange-red, a multi
tude of small clouds scattered across
the pale steely blue. Tall trees Of
cactus with small leaves on spread
ing branches, as well as the upright
column cactus springing green from
the sand, now bordered the road. Sud-
denly all the red of the clouds chang
ed to gold, the purple to pale soft he
1iotrope, and in a burst of golden light
the sun rose over a. line of violet
mountains. Past stray bushes Of wild
cotton, with their mauve blossoms and
pale-bluish leaves, men were carrying
loads of red lasquer bowls. These
bowls, packed in columns and swing
ing in nets from the shoulder cross
pole, looked like bundles of giant red
sausages.
Mile after mile we jolted and
creaked and presently passed between
two great piles of red brick with a
Buddha In a porch on the exterior
of either side-a1l that remained OF
the great gateway-or one of the great
gateways-of the ancient city of Pa
gan.
1.-The building of Mandalay was only
commenced about fifty years ago; Pa
gan was founded before A. d. 200
In MandaIay there are now close UP
on two hundred thousand inhabitants:
at Pagan there are eight miles OF
brick-strewn sand and a few poor vii
lagos Mandalay, situated where the
Irrawaddy is Joined by its chief tribu-
tary, Is likely to become a great rail-
way center; Pagan. In the dryest part
or the dry zone. has had no practical
importance since It was sacked by
Kubla Khan In 1888. But in that will
derness of rubbie and cactus the re-
mains of I'VE thousand pagodas and
monasteries CT Is said there were once
thirteen thousand) can still be traced
and among them are certain build.
ings In good state of preservation
vast in size ana OF quite peculiar in.
terest"
From the Circuit House, where the
writer stayed, you look over a wide
river. which 10 not more than a quar-
ter OF a mile away, TO a range oil
mountains beautiful at every hour OF
the day. I walked inland little way
70 the Thatbyinnyu Pagoda (ths Tenn,