Let’s go to Banna and make a U-turn! (Part 7)

Number of days: 10 days
Time: June
Average cost: 6,000 yuan
With whom: and friends
Updated: 2023.08.03

Wake up naturally and drive to Mandiu Village, a thousand-year-old Dai village.

This is a well-preserved Dai ancient village with only 93 households and about 400 people. Most of the villagers are engaged in farming and tourism. Every Dai village has a temple, built on the highest point of the village. We followed the mountain to the ancient temple in the village. The temple is not big, but it is the most sacred place in the village. All major events in the village will be prayed and celebrated here. The boys in the village will go to the temple to learn culture and etiquette from a young age, and they must also take exams to obtain the corresponding level of titles in the temple. After turning 20, they can choose to return to secular life or continue to study Buddhism. Monks who do not return to secular life and have a high assessment level can take on corresponding management affairs.

The main gate of the village

The village well. The Dai people regard water as sacred, and all the drinking water in the village comes from this well.

At that time, the Thai leader visited the village and drank the water from this well.

There is an ancient temple on the top of the mountain behind the village. This is the most sacred place in the village.

Temple murals are a very important part of Dai culture.

There is an ancient tamarind tree outside the temple.

The main hall of the temple.

The road leading to the temple paved with red bricks

A road like the skeleton of an umbrella

Stilt houses built entirely of wood

I really love the flowers planted in every household's yard. Thanks to the tropical monsoon climate here, both sunshine and rain are plentiful, allowing the plants and flowers to flourish and flourish, seemingly needing no special care to bloom freely. The simple Dai homes, the tranquil village surrounded by flowers, have been passed down for millennia amidst the sounds of Buddhist chanting.

Dragon fruit in the family yard

Thick dendrobium

Such beautiful leaves are rarely seen elsewhere

The village's morning market sells some tourist products and agricultural products. Tourists always buy some local specialties here.

Mango trees planted in Dai houses

Papaya trees planted in the courtyard of a Dai residence

Last night, leaving the Xingguang Market, we passed by a Nepalese restaurant. The young man in front of the restaurant was singing enthusiastically, and we were so captivated by his singing that we decided to have lunch there tomorrow. After leaving Mandiu Village, we drove directly to this Nepalese restaurant. Despite the scorching midday sun, the dense bougainvillea at the restaurant entrance shielded the scorching sun from the long corridor. The ceiling fan above us spun monotonously as we dined in this exotic atmosphere.

The singing boy at the restaurant door last night

The lush bougainvillea outside the restaurant corridor

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Three different flavors of soup, steak, fish fillet, salad and Nepalese butter flatbread are our hearty lunch

After returning to the hotel for lunch, we headed directly to the Big Buddha Temple in the afternoon. The Big Buddha Temple was restored on the site of the ancient Dai Dynasty's royal temple, the Jingpiao Temple. The temple was built by a Dai king named Bolong in memory of his deceased consort, Nansha Weibian. The Mengle Big Buddha Temple, covering 400 mu (approximately 122.8 meters) and nestled into the mountainside, is unique in China and abroad. It was destroyed during war in 2883 B.E. (1848 AD, during the reign of Emperor Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty), 169 years ago. We took a sightseeing electric car through the forest to the temple's highest point. Descending the mountainside, we came upon a large golden pagoda, a series of towering spires resembling bamboo shoots, a massive golden Buddha, a plum blossom-like golden hall, and a three-story temple with a steep, red-tiled roof. The entire Big Buddha Temple shone with a sacred and solemn aura.

The main gate of Big Buddha Temple