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Yangon- The gateway to the country and accessible by every means of transport. It was founded in 1755 by a Burmese king although no trace at all of the palace can now be seen. The old town in the British colonial style was built in 1855 by the British. And the city today is known as the garden city.
The present day Yangon covers over 350sq.km
and has population of over 5 million.
The magnificent Shwedagon pagoda standing as the landmark on a hillock is a must for the visitors. The Scott ( Bogyoke) market, the colonial buildings in he town centre and the colossal reclining Buddha are worth seeing. It is also interesting see the Yangon River jetty and the life thereof.
What to
See
 Shwedagon Pagoda
Towering almost 100 metres above the green
city scape of Yangon, the Shwedagon Pagoda
is the landmark visible from miles around,
one of the wonders of the world, it was
believed to have been built over 2500 years
ago where the four Buddhas relics were
enshrined. Successive kings had embellished
the Pagoda during the 15 century and Queen
Shin Saw Pu raised it to its present height
 Kaba Aye Pagoda and Maha Pasana Guha
Kaba Aye, meaning world Peace, was built to
commemorate the Sixth Buddhist Synod in
1954, which was held in Maha Pasana Guha
(Cave) within the same compound.
Botataung Pagoda
Botataung means one thousand Commanders.
Tradition has it that the king of Okkalapa,
who built the Shwedagon Pagoda enshrining
eight sacred hair relics of the Buddha,
welcomed the sacred hair relics at the river
side with his "thousand commanders" and
later built this Botataung Pagoda in
commemoration of this welcoming Buddha hair
relics.
Sule PagodaSule Pagoda
The 46 meter high Pagoda is representative
of the religions architecture of the Mons,
the earliest inhabitants of Yangon, in its
octagonal form which continues from base to
spire.
Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda
This huge 72 metre long Reclining Buddha,
originally built in 1907, was reconstructed
in 1966.
 National Museum
It has five floors of exhibits. It displays
the Lion throne, the Elephant throne, the
Royal Regalia, manuscripts, painting etc.
Other attractions in Yangon are Mai-Iamu
Pagoda, Tooth Relic (Swedaw) Pagoda, Lawka
Chantha Ahbaya Laba Muni Buddha Image,
Bogyoke Aung San Market, formerly known as
Scott Market, People's square and People's
Park, Zoological Garden and Hlawga Wildlife
Park.
Beyond
Yangon
 Bago (Pegu)
Located only 80 km from Yangon, Bago was an
ancient capital of Mon Kingdom in 15th
century. It is noted for hand-rolled
cheroots factories and pickled fish. Sights
to visited are Shwe- Tha-Lyaung Reclining
Buddha (55 metres long), Shwe-Maw-Daw
Pagoda, Kalyani Sima (Ordination Hall),
Kyaikpun Pagoda and the Palace of King
Bayintnaung.
Thanlyin (Syriam)
 Once a trading port occupied by the
Portuguese in early 17th century, Thanlyin
and its surroundings offer many attractions.
The 1822 metre long bridge spanning the Bago
River made possible the 30 minutes drive
from Yangon. Kyaik-khauk Pagoda, Kyauktan
pagoda in the middle of the creek are worth
visiting.
Twan-Te
A small town on the bank of man-made Twan-te canal is two hours away by boat
from Yangon.
The boat trip itself is a joy and a chance
to see rural life along the canal while
Twan-te is well known for making potteries.
Allied War Memorial Cemetery
Located 32 Km from Yangon, on the way to
Bago, it has 27000 tomb-stones of Allied
soldiers who lost their lives in Myanmar
during the Second World War.
Shopping
Bogyoke Aung San market (Scott Market) is
the well known market in Yangon and it is
one of the
 best places for souvenir
shopping. Myanmar arts and Crafts: Lacquerware, Wood and Ivory Carving,
tapestries, silverware, brassware, silk and
cotton fabric are available at reasonable
prices. |
