April 22

A painter Daw Khaing Zar Tun said that the majority of pilgrims in the Bagan cultural heritage zone, NyaungU Township, are found to have a temporary hand tattoo done at the shops opened in the pagoda precinct, allowing the hand painters to thrive.

Bagan cultural heritage zone, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was eerily empty due to the tight restriction period of the COVID-19. Those engaged in local tuk-tuk transportation and rental business (boat, horse-riding, car, e-bike, cycle and motorcycle services), hotels and guesthouses, restaurants and souvenir shops suffered from this. The businesses relying on tourism were earlier closed amid the COVID-19 negative impacts in the past two years. Starting from Thingyan Festival this year, domestic tourism has recovered. It helps revive the small businesses such as horse-riding businesses, motorcycle and electric bike rental businesses, hotels, motels, guesthouses and the souvenir businesses, a hand painter U Tin Soe explained financial hardship in the difficult time.

Beautiful hand paintings attract visitors. The maximum price of hand painting costs K5,000. It lasts one day to a week, depending on paint quality. This hand painting business is an excellent opportunity for locals in NyaungU Township.

Those workers involved in the lacquerware business are also executing hand painting, Ma Pan Myat Hla, a hand painter at Shwezigon pagoda, said. — Ko Htein (KPD)/GNLM