Myanmar temple a nirvana for snakes

Holy place: A snake resting on a Buddha statue at the Baungdawgyoke pagoda near Yangon. — AFP

Yangon: Crossing a bridge to the middle of a lake in Myanmar’s Yangon region, pilgrims arrive at a temple to pin their hopes on the pythons slinking across the temple’s floors and draped across windows.

“People come here because they believe that their prayers will be fulfilled when they ask for something,” said Sandar Thiri, a nun residing at the Baungdawgyoke pagoda – dubbed the “snake temple” by locals.