4 Monuments to Explore in Bago Region

The Bawbawgyi Paya is the best preserved ruin of the old Pyu kingdom of Sri Ksetra. Of uncertain age, it was likely built between the 6th and the 7th centuries when the Pyu people commanded the circular city immediately to the north. Despite its antiquity, the pagoda is in excellent structural condition, having miraculously survived a number of major earthquakes over the preceding centuries.

The Kyaik Pun Pagoda actually means Four Statues Pagoda in Burmese. It was built by King Migadippa in the late 7th century and restored in 1476 by King Khammazedi. It consists of 4 enormous Buddhas in the seated position and back-to-back with each other, wearing golden robes and all have different expressions on the faces. They are in the Bhumisparsha mudra, calling the Earth to witness. It is one of the famous attraction in this area and daily a lot of devotees comes here and experiences this b

The Mahazedi Paya ranks among the most sacred sites in Bago, second only to the Shwemawdaw Pagoda. First established in 1559 or 1560, it reputedly houses a tooth relic from Sri Lanka, the gift of King Dharmapala of the Kotte kingdom. Throughout its history, the pagoda has been destroyed by several earthquakes on the Sagaing Fault, on 13 September 1564, 1583, and 8 October 1888, and completely leveled in 1930. Mahazedi Pagoda was rebuilt in the 1950s.

The Shwethalyaung Buddha is huge, at 180 feet long and 52 feet high. However, after a 1757 pillaging of the area, the world lost track fo the Buddha, only to have a British railway engineer accidentally rediscover it, completely overgrown with jungle, in 1880. The Buddha was given a giant mosaic pillow in 1930 and is currently kept under a rather unattractive enormous shed. It was one of the main attractions in this area.