THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Myanmar - page 98

gonal shape, rather than following the circular pattern adopted by virtually all other Burmese
stupas.
Earlyeveningisparticularlybusyandatmospheric,whileyou'llalsoseemanypeoplepray-
ing in the direction of the stupa in the streets outside as they pass.
Mahabandoola Garden
Between Sule Pagoda Rd and Mahabandoola Garden St • Daily 5.30am-6pm • Free
Providing a blissful square of open green space amid the super-compacted streets of down-
town Yangon, Mahabandoola Garden is at once a peaceful city park and also a shrine to
Burmese nationalism. Formerly named Fytche Square (in honour of Albert Fytche, Chief
CommissionerofBritishBurma),theparkwaslaterrenamedafterthelegendaryGeneralMa-
habandoola (or Maha Bandula), leader of Burmese forces during the First Anglo-Burmese
War , and is also home to the soaring Independence Monument, commemorating Burmese in-
dependence in 1948. The garden itself, dotted with little bonsai-like topiary trees, is a nice
placetostretchyourlegsafterthecrampeddowntownpavements,andalsooffersgoodviews
of the neighbouring City Hall and Sule Pagoda. A line of palmists ply their trade outside the
railings along the gardens' west side, while it's also a popular spot for locals practising t'ai
chi before and after work.
Around Mahabandoola Garden
Yangon's finest array of colonial architecture lies clustered in the area immediately to the
east of Mahabandoola Garden and down Pansodan Street. Flanking the northern side of Ma-
habandoolaGardensisthesky-blue CityHall (1924),itsNeoclassicaloutlinesjazzedupwith
a riot of ersatz-oriental decorative motifs including pagoda-topped roofs, chintzy stone lat-
ticework and a pair of dragons suspended over the main entrance, with a peacock between.
Thelarge,faintlyFrench-lookingbuildingoppositewasoriginallyadepartmentstorebefore
being turned into the Immigration Department . It's recently undergone a major restoration
and has now re-emerged in pristine condition, an example of what these superb old buildings
could look like, given sufficient time, love and money.
On the other side of Mahabandoola Road, a pair of distinctively spiky spires top the Im-
manuel Baptist Church of 1952 (the original church, commissioned by an American mis-
sionary in 1885, having been destroyed during World War II), while sprawling beyond down
theeastsideofMahabandoolaGardensistheformer SupremeCourt building(1911)ingen-
eric Neoclassical style with cream details, topped by a giant red-brick clocktower.