Yangon & Around - Myanmar (Burma) - page 150

Near the huge head of the image stands a statue of Lokanat (Lokanatha or Avalokites-
vara), a Mahayana Buddhist deity borrowed by Burmese Buddhism.
A Japanese war cemetery, Kyinigan Kyaung , can be seen on the grounds of a monas-
tery just north of Shwethalyaung.
Shwemawdaw Paya BUDDHIST STUPA
(Shwemawdaw Paya Rd; 5am-8pm; admission with a Bago Archaelogical Zone ticket, $10) A
pyramid of washed-out gold in the midday haze and glittering perfection in the evening,
the 376ft-high Shwemawdaw Paya stands tall and proud over the town. The stupa
reaches 46ft higher than the Shwedagon in Yangon. At the northeastern corner of the
stupa is a huge section of the hti toppled by an earthquake in 1917.
According to murky legend the original stupa was a small, ramshackle object, built by
two brothers, Kullasala and Mahasala, to enshrine two hairs given to them by Gautama
Buddha. In AD 982 a sacred tooth was added to the collection; in 1385 another tooth was
added and the stupa was rebuilt to a towering 277ft. In 1492 strong winds blew over the
hti and a new one was raised.
The stupa has collapsed and been rebuilt many times over the past 600 years; each
time it has grown a little taller and the treasures mounted in it have grown a little more
abundant. The last time it was destroyed was in 1930 when a huge earthquake com-
pletely levelled it, and for the next 20 years only the huge earth mound of the base re-
mained.
The Shwemawdaw Paya is a particularly good destination during Bago's annual pa-
goda festival, in March/April.
Hintha Gon Paya BUDDHIST STUPA
Located a short walk behind the Shwemawdaw, this shrine was once the one point
in this whole vast area that rose above sea level and so was the natural place for the
hamsa to land. Images of this mythical bird decorate the stupa built by U Khanti, the her-
mit monk who was the architect of Mandalay Hill.
Walk to it by taking the steps down from side of the Shwemawdaw from the main en-
trance. This paya is also a big spot for nat worship and festivals and with a bit of luck
you'll catch the swirling, veiled forms of masculine-looking nat dancers accompanied by
the clanging and crashing of a traditional orchestra.
Kyaik Pun Paya MONUMENT
(admission with a Bago Archaelogical Zone ticket, $10.) Built in 1476 by King Dhammazedi,
the Kyaik Pun Paya consists of four 100ft-high sitting buddhas (Gautama Buddha and his