The widespread adoption of Buddhism in Myanmar suppressed, but never replaced the pre-Buddhist practice of nat <spirit> worship. Originally animistic - associated with hills, trees, lakes and other natural features - the Burmese Nat has evolved into a spirit that may hold dominion over a place <natural or human-made>, person, or feild of experience. Orthographically, the written Burmese word nat is derived from the Pali Sanskret natha <Lord or guardian>, though this spelling may have overlaid an existing indigenous term. Despite the continued efforts of some Buddhist leaders to downgrade the nat cult, it means an important dimension of everyday Burmese life.

Before King Anawrahta came to power in Bagan in the 11th century, it was common for the Burmese to build small shrines or spirit houses dedicated to land nat who were displaced by the construction of houses, monasteries or other buildings, or by the planting of rice and other crops. The owners or tenants of the buildings made daily offerings of food, incense and flowers at the shrines to placate these "guardian" Nat. Unpropitiated, such nat might cause misfortune to befall the land's human tenants.

Separate, larger shrines were built for a higher class of nat, descended from actual historic personages <including pervious Thai and Bamar Kings> who had died violent, unjust deaths. These suprahuman nat, when correctly propitiated, could aid worshipers in accomplishing important tasks, vanquishing enemies and so on. A few Hindu devas <spirit-beings> and Mahayana Buddhist bodhisattvas - also participated in the nat pantheon.

In his push to make Theravada Buddhism the national faith, King Anawrahta tried to ban nat worship in Bagan, which was <and still is > the strongest bastion of spirit worship in Myanmar. As part of his anti-nat campaing, he ordered the destruction of all nat shrines in the kingdom, and banished all Hindu images to a desecrated Vishnu temple renamed Nathlaung Kyaung <Monastery of the Prisoner Nat>. He also forbade the practice of animal sacrifice at nearby Mt Popa, a volcanic outcropping considered the abode of the 36 most powerful human nat. Instead of abandoning their belief in nat, however, the Bamar merely took their practices underground, rebuilding the guardian nat shrines in their homes.

Realising he was turning the people away from Buddhism, rather than destroying their faith in the nat, the king rescinded his total ban and allowed nat images and shrines on paya grounds. He himself led the way by placing images of the 36 nat from Mt Popa at the base of the sacred zedi of Shwezihgon. To these universally recognised 36, Anawrahta added 37th, Thagyamin, a Hindu deity based on Indra, who he crowned "King of the nat". Thagyamin thus outranked the previous nat King, Mahagiri nat <Lord of the Great Hill, a reference to Mt Popa>. Since, in traditional Buddhist mythology, Indra paid homage to Buddha on behalf of the Hindu pantheon, this theistic insertion effectively made all nat subordinate to Buddhism.

Anawrahta's scheme worked, and today the commonly believed cosmology places Buddha and his teaching at the top, with the Hindu and Bamar nat in second and third place. In spite of the nat lower position in the hierachy, the Burmese nat cult is nearly as strong as ever. The Burmese merely divide their devotions and offerings according to the sphere of influence: Buddha for future lives, and the nat - both Hunu and Bamar for problams in this life. A misdeed,, for example, might be redressed by offering made to Thagyamin, who once a year records the names of those who perform good deeds in a book made of gold leaves, and the those who do evil deeds in a book made of dog's skin. Offerings to Thurathati <Sanskrit Saraswati> , a nat in charge of education, may help a student pass a tough exam.                                                                            Top

Since the Bagan era, the house guardian nat has stayed indoors and merged with Mahagiri to form Eindwin-Min Mahagiri <Lord of the Great Mountain [who is] in the House>. In most homes, this dual Nat is represented by a large, un-husked coconut which dressed with red Gaung baung <turban>, perfumed, and hung from a pillar or post somewhere in the house. This nat must receive daily offerings from the house's inhabitants; for many Burmese, this is the only Nat worshipped on a regular basis. Other Nat, particularly in Bamar dominated central Myanmar, have shrine in Paya or monastery grounds, which receive occasional offerings only during pilgrimages, or bimonthly full-new-moon visits. 

Some of the more animistic guardian nat remain outside home and paya. A tree-spirit shrine, for example, may be erected beneath a particularly venerated old tree, thought to wield power over the immediate vicinity. These are especially common beneath larger banyan trees <Ficus religiosa>. as this tree is revered as a symbol of Buddha's enlightenment: an offering made to a banyan Nat conveniently doubles as a Buddhist offering. A village may well have a nat shrine in a wooded corner for the propitiation of the village shrines are simple dollhouse-like structures of wood or bamboo: their proper placement is divined by a local Saya <teacher or shaman> trained in spirit lore.

Knowledge of the complex nat world is fading fast among the younger Burmese generation, many of whom pay respect only to the coconut-head house guardian. Red and white are widely known to be Nat colours: drivers young and old tie red and white strips of cloth to side-view mirrors and hood ornaments of their vehicles for protection from the nat. Those with a general fear of nat will avoid eating pork, which is thought to be offensive to the spirit world. The main fear is not simply that spirits will wreak havoc on your daily affairs, but rather that one may enter your mind and body, then force you to perform unconscionable acts in public - acts that would cause other Burmese to shun you. Spirit possession or metaphysical - is a real phenomenon in Myanmar.

Staunch Burmese Buddhist claim to pay no attention to the nat, as if the nat didn't exist. On close questioning, however, they will usually admit this is only because thay outrank nat due to their adherence to Buddhism, and thus they have no reason to fear them. It is commonly believed that Buddhists can stay out of the nat's reach as long as they keep the five lay precepts against lying, stealing, killing, harmful sexual behavior and intoxication, In particular, drunkenness is considered an invitation to spirit possession.

Nat festivals
On certain occasions, the nat cult goes behind simple propitiation of the spirits <Via offerings> and steps into the realm of spirit invocation. Most commonly, this is accomplished through Nat Pwe <spirit festivals>, special musical performances designed to attract nat to the performance venue. Nearly all indigenous Burmese music designed for this purpose; the classical forms seen in tourist restaurants came relatively late in the country's music history. When enough money is available, a Nat Pwe may be hosted the night before a Shinpyu <Buddhist novice ordination ceremony> as a way of receiving the nat blessings - perhaps, on some level, even asking the nat permission for the novice ordination. Often the nat pwe is part of a variety of musical, dramatic and comedic performances that last from dusk till dawn; those spectators who object to nat pwe <or are fearful of the nat world> can then leave during the nat pwe and return later for the rest of the show.