Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
which it floated over to Pathein. On the opposite, northwest, side of the terrace is a shrine
to
Shin Upagot
set in the middle of a small pond. Close by are a couple of small
nat
shrines
with an image of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh (incorporated into the Burmese
nat
pantheon under the name of Maha Peinne) between.
The northern entrance frames fine views of the Shwezigon Pagoda's giant seated Buddha.
Shwezigon Pagoda
Kozu Rd • Daily 24hr • Free
Due north of the Shwemokhtaw, the
Shwezigon Pagoda
is hard to miss thanks to its huge,
open-air seated Buddha. The rest ofthe temple comprises afairly cursoryandhaphazard col-
lection of shrines including a series of decaying sculptures in rusty cages (a procession of
monks, Brahma mounted upon on a
hamsa
and the ubiquitous Shin Upagot among them)
along with further assorted
nats
.
The market and riverfront
Daily 8am-6pm
Pathein's
market
is spread over two blocks. The newer southern block is relatively hum-
drum, with lots of stalls selling cheap clothes. The older northern block looks fairly sedate
from the outside but is typically congested and borderline chaotic within, with old-fashioned
wooden stalls, like enormous, two-storey cupboards.
North and south of here,
Strand Road
runs along the breezy Pathein River waterfront. Fa-
cing the river just north of the market is the attractive old colonial
CustomsHouse
. The area
along Strand Road north of here is home to the city's busy
night market
.
Dani Tan Monastery
Mahabandoola Rd
It's difficult to miss the modern
DaniTan
(aka Tikekyi)
Monastery
, the roof of its main hall
topped with outlandish models of the Shwedagon and Golden Rock at Mount Kyaiktiyo, ap-
pearing (at least from certain angles) to float miraculously in midair.
28 Pagoda
Directly behind the Dani Tan monastery, the long, low
28 Pagoda
is contrastingly self-ef-
facing. The rustic-looking shrine is named for the 28 standing Buddhas, with 28 further
Buddhas sitting in niches behind them - the standing figures are posed in the characteristic
Mandalay style with hands holding the hems of the outer robe open around the knees, as
though about to step through a puddle. The building is usually kept locked, although you can
get a decent view in through the windows even if you can't locate a keyholder to open it for
you.
