 |
Mount Popa has been described as the 'Mt Olympus' of Myanmar. Rising to 1520 meters from the flat, surrounding Myingyan Plain, Mt Popa is said to be the core of an extinct volcano last active 250,000 years ago. The ground either sides of the road is strewn with the remains of a petrified forest.
Volcanic ash makes the surrounding plains fertile and the heights capture the moisture of passing clouds, causing rain to drop on the plateau and produce a profusion of trees, flowering plants and herbs. 'Popa' in fact is derived from the Sanskrit word for flower. One of Mt Popa's presiding nats, Mae Wanna, is considered the patron nat of medicinal and magico-religious herbs, many of which still grow in the area today. At one time the surrounding forests were home to elephants, rhinos, sambar and tigers; all had disappeared by the time a 1908 mammal survey was undertaken by the British Raj.
|
