Nowhere in all Burma may a better idea of the Burmese be obtained than
on this pagoda platform. At all times of the day it is thronged by
people, not only from Rangoon, but from all parts of the country, who
come to pray or wonder at its beauty. At the shrines, in which are
always one or more images of Buddha, groups of devout Burmans pray.
Lighted candles burn before the images, while the worshippers, among
whom it will be noticed women predominate, bear flowers in their
hands, which before their departure they reverently lay upon the niche
in which the "Master" is enshrined.

These flowers and coloured candles are sold upon the platform, leading
up to which are several covered staircases, which form the best
bazaar in Rangoon, as in the shops on either side of the ascent almost
everything from jewellery and toys to food-stuffs may be bought. The
entrance from the street below is very striking. The flight of broad
steps leads to a gilded and painted pavilion, on either side of which
stand enormous leogryphs, the mythical guardians of the temple.
Passing through an archway embellished by figures of "nats" and other
imaginary creatures, a long succession of steps, covered throughout
the whole distance by ornamental roofs, leads to the temple above, and
at all times of the day is thronged by brightly-clothed pedestrians,
ascending and descending through the alternate gleams of sunlight and
cool shade of the bazaar. Nowhere else in Burma can the people be
better studied than here, all classes being represented, and it may be
interesting if I describe them more closely. Like their neighbours of
Siam and China, the Burmese are Mongolian in type, but, without so
pronounced a cheekbone and slanting eye as the Chinese, are more
pleasing in appearance. Indeed, the men are often handsome, and among
the women and young girls I have seen many of extreme beauty. While
the men are often sallow, the women are generally more ruddy in
complexion, and all have hair of an almost purple blackness. Their
clothing is bright and clean-looking. All wear a short jacket, usually
white, though ladies of the better degree sometimes adopt figured
velvets and other rich materials. The men commonly wear a "lungyi," or
short skirt composed of coloured silk or cloth gathered round their
loins, or the more elaborate "petsoe," which is made of coloured silk
and in which many yards of loose material twisted into a bunch about
the waist serves as an addi