Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Modern Pathein is now the fourth-largest city in Myanmar, with a population of around
350,000, capital of the Ayeyarwady Region and (despite lying slightly inland, up the broad
Pathein - or Bassein - River) still the most important port in the country after Yangon,
serving as the main conduit for the Delta's huge rice exports.
Shwemokhtaw Pagoda
Main entrance from Pagoda Rd • Daily 6am-9pm • Free
Pathein's main sight is the
Shwemokhtaw Pagoda
, squeezed tightly into the very centre
of town between Pagoda, Merchant and Panchan streets. Local legend claims that it was
built at the order of a Muslim princess named Onmadandi, who challenged each of her three
Buddhist suitors to build her a stupa in order to discover who could furnish her with the
most impressive erection. Fables aside, dull historical fact suggests that what you see now is
largely the work of Bagan's King Alaungsithu (in 1115) and the Mon King Samodogossa (in
1263), who raised the stupa to something approaching its current height of 47m. The crown-
ing
hti
is said to be made of 6kg of solid gold set on tiers of silver and bronze and encrus-
ted with over 1600 diamonds and rubies - although you can't really see anything from the
ground.
Inside, the courtyard is one of Myanmar's more architecturally harmonious temple com-
plexes, and while the stupa itself isn't particularly huge, it compensates with its elegantly
slender outline. Surrounding the stupa you'll find eight shrines dedicated to the various
days
oftheweek
, as at the
Shwedagon
in Yangon, plus a ninth shrine representing the ruling sign,
Ketu - each is equipped with its own Buddha seated on a tiny circular garden plinth, com-
plete with its own tap for watering.
On the south side of the pagoda, a shrine houses the revered
Thiho-shin Phondawpyi
Buddhaimage,saidtohavebeenmadeinancient SriLankaandthensetadriftonaraft,after
