Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tentially one of the largest historic restoration projects in the world”, as Al Jazeera recently
described it.
St Mary's Catholic Cathedral and around
Junction of Bogyoke Aung San and Bo Aung Kyaw roads
The imposing
St Mary's Catholic Cathedral
, immediately north of the Secretariat, is the
city's principal Catholic place of worship and the country's largest church
.
Designed by
Dutch architect Jos Cuypers (son of Pierre Cuypers, creator of Amsterdam's Central Station
and Rijksmuseum), the building was finished in 1899 in a neo-Gothic style not dissimilar to
that of the rival
Holy Trinity
Anglican cathedral across the city. Unfortunately it's generally
locked except when services are being held, when you can appreciate the impressively tiled
and vaulted interior.
Onthesouthsideofthecathedral istheimpressive
B.E.H.S.(6)Botahtaung
of1860-just
two of a number of old colonial-era B.E.H.S (Basic Education High Schools) which still dot
the city. Formerly known as St Paul's English High School, this was once one of the most
elite schools in Yangon. East of the cathedral, on Theinbyu Road, the all-girls
B.E.H.S. (4)
Botahtaung
(formerly St Mary's Convent School) is another fine old colonial memento still
in use today. A fine
Sikhtemple
flanks the southern side of the school, while across the road
istheformer
GovernmentPress
-yetanotherhandsomered-brickNeoclassicaledifice,now
sadly derelict.
Sri Devi Temple
Anawrahta Rd, between 50th & 51st sts • Daily 6-11.30am & 4.30-8.30pm • Free
DedicatedtotheHindumothergoddessDevi,the
SriDeviTemple
providesspiritualsuccour
to the many Indian-descended Yangonites living in the subcontinental enclave around the
eastern end of Anawrahta Road (the modern-day descendants of Yangon's once omnipresent
Indian community who settled in the city during the era of British rule). The temple features
the usual multicoloured
gopuram
plus red-and-white-striped walls and an inner shrine
manned by a couple of a resident Brahmins.
Botataung Pagoda
Strand Rd (foreign entrance on east side) • Daily 6am-9.30pm • $3
Tucked away on the far eastern side of downtown is the
Botataung Pagoda
, the second of
colonial Yangon's two major Buddhist pagodas - the name (literally “1000 officers”) refers
to the soldiers of the king who are said to have formed a guard of honour to celebrate the
arrival here of precious Buddhist relics from India. The current complex dates from the Mon
era, around the same time as the Shwedagon Pagoda, although it was largely obliterated by a
stray RAF bomb in 1943 (they were aiming for the nearby Yangon wharves). Reconstruction
workstartedon4January1948-thefirstdayofBurmeseindependence.Duringrebuilding,a
previouslyunknownrelicchamberwasuncoveredcontaininganextraordinarytreasure-trove
