WOMEN in Sagaing Division have been selling their hair as part of a project to raise funds for the rebuilding of bridges along the road leading to Alaungdaw Kathapa Pagoda.
The project, started by the venerable monk Sayadaw Waiponla, is aimed at rebuilding 16 old bridges along a 26-kilometre (16-mile) stretch of the road between the villages of Le Nague and Chin Pyit.
The road is the only way to access to Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park, where the pagoda – one of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Sagaing Division – is located.
Sayadaw Damadaya Ashin Waryamarnanda, one of the organisers of the hair donation project, said that more than 3000 women had shorn their locks since the call went out in March.
He said that those who cut their hair were making a big sacrifice because many Myanmar women cherish their long hair as a mark of beauty and dignity.
“We have received 80 viss of hair donated by women. They are happy to donate their hair to gain merit. It is the kind of action done by saints,” he said.
The current market price of hair is K100,000 to K400,000 a viss (one viss equals 1.6 kilograms or 3.6 pounds) depending on the length. It is sold to Chinese traders for use in wigs and hair extensions.
The bridge repair program was started two years ago by Sayadaw Waiponla after he saw a pregnant women die on her way to the hospital due to the poor state of transportation in the area. He established a roadside hut where he asked for donations from travellers to tear down the old bridges along the road and build new ones.
Sayadaw raised K90 million in donations in two years and used the money to rebuild eight of the 16 bridges” Sayadaw Damadaya Ashin Waryamarnanda said, adding that the monk also hired his own crews to do the work.
“The idea of donating hair came earlier this year from the women who lived along the road. They wanted to contribute but they had no money, so they asked sayadaw to accept their hair instead,” he said.
“As a result, in March we started calling on more women to donate their hair and now we have 13 hair donation centres in townships throughout Sagaing Division.
“We are now getting 100 to 200 hair donors daily. We will construct bridges using the money gained from selling the hair. And we plan to name one of the bridges the Golden Hair Bridge,” said Sayadaw Damadaya Ashin Waryamarnanda.
