South East Asian Trips

Maha Muni Pagoda

One of King Bodawpaya's sons conveyed this Buddha statue across the Rakhine Yoma from Mrauk-U to Mandalay . Firstly, the pagoda was located at the old capital Amarapura, but it had been moved to Mandalay after fire broke out in 1884. The original image was made out of alloy but fine foils of gold were gilded on and it now weighs over a ton. The golden crown of the image is decorated with diamonds, jade, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds,

Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda

King Mindon gained merit by having this huge Buddha Image carved out of a single boulder of white marble from Sagyin hills. The King built this pagoda as a replica of the Ananda Pagoda,

Kyauk Taw Gyi (Amarapura)

King Bagan erected this pagoda as a reproduction to the Ananda Temple at Bagan. But the inner décor is different as it is adorned with murals reflecting contemporary Myanmar life of that period. A Buddha's marble image was carved from a single block,

Sinmyashin Pagoda

Sinmyashin was the name of a monarch who owned countless elephants. It was established in 1429, but badly damaged by earthquakes in 1485 and 1955,

Maha Law Ka Marazein or Kutho-Daw Pagoda

In literal Myanmar, Kutho-Daw Gyi means the Great Royal Bounty, and it was constructed in 1857 by King Mindon as a replica of the Shwezegon Pagoda of Bagan. The Buddha's teachings known as Tipitakas were inscribed on white marble slabs as amended at the 5th Buddhist Synod convened by King Mindon in 1871. Each slab is placed under a small brick shed in a chronicle order around the pagoda. This is known to the world as the largest book of Buddhist scripts,

Mya Thein Dan Pagoda

In 1816 King Bagyidaw, prior to taking the throne, built this pagoda in memory of his late chief queen, Hsinbyume. The pagoda design was a duplicate of the Sulamani Pagoda at the legendary Mount Meru, the second of the six levels inhabited by the nats (celestial beings),

Shwe Kyi Myin Pagoda

Shwe Kyi Myin Pagoda dates back to the early twelfth century. Prince Min Shin Saw, the eldest son of King Alaung Sithu (AD1112-1167), constructed this pagoda when his father exiled him to Htun Ton Pu Tet in east Mandalay,

Sattawya Pagoda

This pagoda was built by King Bodawpaya in 1811, where the footprint of Buddha was sealed in a relic chamber in the basement,

Aindawya Pagoda

King Bagan built this pagoda in 1847. Aindawya Pagoda is gilt and its magnificently balanced shrine houses an admixture of opal image of Buddha brought from Buddha Gaya (India) in 1839,

Setkya Thiha Pagoda

This huge bronze image of Buddha is kept near the Zaygyo market. The image was cast at Inwa under the instruction of King Bagyidaw in 1823 and transferred to Amarapura in 1849, then again to Mandalay in 1884. There are many reclining Buddha images in the grounds of this pagoda. The pagoda, built on an elevated masonry platform, was badly hit by bombs in World War II, but has since been restored,

Pahtodawgyi Pagoda

Prior to conquering the throne, King Bodawpaya took refuge at Mingun, where he made a vow that he would implement four religious projects once he became a king. These projects were to build a pagoda, a bell, a lake and two statues of lions to safeguard the pagoda. This pagoda was never completed and was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1838. The cracks and splits of the walls are of interest to historians and tourists,

Around Mandalay

Sanda Muni Pagoda

This pagoda contains a bronze image of Buddha cast in 1802 by King Bodaw (AD 1782-1819). This was brought by King Mindon from Amarapura to Mandalay. The pagoda includes the graves of Crown Prince Kanaung, Prince Sagu and Prince Malun who lost their lives during the Myingun revolt against the monarch in 1866. A commemoration ceremony occurs at this pagoda at every Thadingyut (October),

Pa Hto Daw Gyi (Mingun)

Prior to conquering the throne, King Bodawpaya took refuge at Mingun, where he made a vow that he would implement four religious projects once he became a king. These projects were to build a pagoda, a bell, a lake and two statues of lions to safeguard the pagoda. This pagoda was never completed and was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1838. The cracks and splits of the walls are of interest to historians and tourists,

Aungmyelawka Pagoda

This sandstone pagoda was built in 1783 to resemble the Shwezigon of Nyaung Oo in Bagan. It was located at riverfront near the residency of Bodawpaya before he became king. Aungmyelawka alias Eindawya pagoda is near the Htupayon pagoda.

Datpaungsu Pagoda

The sacred relics of the former pagodas were duck out during the British colonial time for construction of railways lines; and placed at Datpaungsu pagoda at this venue. Datpaungsu means collections of relics in Myanmar.

Htupayon Pagoda

King Narapatigyi (1443-1469) built the Htupayon pagoda at Inwa (Ava). Narapatigyi constructed a temporary wooden bridge across the river for thousands of citizens to attend the pagoda's Hti-hoisting ceremony. The 1838 earthquake destroyed the pagoda and King Bagan started to reconstruct it in 1849, but failed to complete it before being dethroned. The plan of the pagoda is a concentric three storeys with arched niches. The latest reconstruction has been sponsored by an enthusiastic monk with offerings from the public.