RANGOON - From 1549 to 1769, the kings of Thailand, Cambodia and Burma fought a series of wars over who had the greatest number of white elephants. In fact, white elephant-related plunder was partly responsible for the building of Burma's national symbol, the golden stupa of the Shwedagon pagoda in Rangoon.
I recently strolled around this spectacular structure with a Burmese friend as he shielded his eyes from the reflection. "It's said that there is more gold on the Shwedagon Pagoda than in the vaults of the Bank of England," he told me, obviously in awe of both the religious importance of the site and the quantity of gold leaf on the stupa. Much of Shwedagon's gold was taken from Thailand in the white elephant wars.
How, I wondered, could two and half centuries of bloodshed be consecrated to a symbol of the peaceful Lord Buddha?
The white elephant, according to Buddhist belief, represents the penultimate incarnation of Gautama Buddha before he was born to Queen Maya. But it also plays significant social and geopolitical roles. U Toke Gale, Burma's leading elephant expert, explained: "The white elephant has always been a symbol not just of Buddhism, but of prestige, prosperity and political power."
Thailand's revered constitutional monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, reportedly has eight white elephants. Laos is said to have only two and Cambodia none at all.
Burma says it has three white elephants. The military government, which has been widely criticized for its repression and is struggling with a host of economic problems, is not shy about using the elephants as symbols of legitimacy and progress.
The retired Burmese army officer who is responsible for capturing and maintaining the precious animals insists that they "only appear during the reign of the righteous leaders" and that their presence signifies "a new renaissance" for Burma.
The country's official newspaper, New Light of Myanmar - Myanmar is Burma's official name - states: "Throughout history, white elephants emerged during the time of Myanmar kings and governments who ruled the nation discharging the 10 kingly duties. The white elephant is a good omen when the state is endeavoring to build a peaceful, modern and developed nation."
Capturing a symbol of rebirth in Burma is serious business. U Saw Sei, the veterinarian who tranquilized Rati Marlar (Precious Flower), Burma's third white elephant, in July 2002, related how frightened he was. "If you don't capture it," he was led to understand, "don't come back home."
Precious Flower is a beautiful animal, with fair skin the color of pinkish sand, white eyelashes and pearl-colored eyes. She has five toenails on the front feet and four on the back. It is rare for a white elephant to be so easily discernible. Most "white" elephants are not white at all and it can be difficult for the uninitiated to tell at a glance that they are viewing an incarnation of Lord Buddha.
White elephant experts say that for a white elephant to be genuine the skin has to turn red, not black, when sprayed with water, the tail and trunk should be straight and long, and the eyes must have yellow irises enclosed by red rings. Some of the more mystical authorities even insist that a white elephant must not snore but should emit the gentle sounds of Burmese and Thai classical musical instruments.
My Burmese friend, who has lived through the British colonial period, the Japanese military occupation and a succession of postcolonial governments, thinks the presence of a few white elephants in Burma doesn't mean much.
"If you meditate and do good work then good fortune will come - you will be judged by your actions," he replied obliquely when asked about Buddhism and the future of the current military regime.
Paul Spencer Sochaczewski wrote about white elephants and the powers of kings in his book "Soul of the Tiger: Searching for Nature's Answers in Southeast Asia," co-authored with Jeffrey A. McNeely.