Bago
written by unknown at 11-Sep-2019
Bago was formerly known as
Pegu and the city is formerly known as Hanthawaddy is the capital of Bago
region. It is located 80 kilometres north-east of Yangon. It is a popular trip
destination for tourists visiting Yangon due to proximity. Bago offers a perfect
milieu of nature and culture to tourists. It is renowned for handicrafts as
well as a vast wildlife sanctuary. Tourists can enjoy a wide range of
experiences in Bago ranging from visiting an elephant camp to experiencing the
urban life of Bago City.
It is just about an hour drive from Yangon. Bago is accessible easily from
Yangon, Mandalay, Pyay and other cities.
How to get there:
·
by car, only about 2 hour drive from Yangon
·
by train,only about 1
hours 45 minute drive from Yangon
Attraction places to visit
Shwegugale Paya
A little beyond Myanmar Mahazedi, this Myanmar Shwegugale zedi has dark go
around the circumference of the cylindrical superstructure. The monument dates
back the reign of Myanmar King Byinnya Yan. Inside are 64 seated Myanmar Buddha
figures. From here you can take a short cut back to the corner in the road,
just before the Shwethalyaung Myanmar Bago pagoda.
Mahazedi Paya
The design of the Mahazedi Paya (Great Stupa), with its whitewashed stairways
leading almost to the stupa’s summit, is unusual for southern Myanmar and
certainly one of the more attractive religious buildings in Bago. Originally
constructed in 1560 by King Bayinnaung, it was destroyed during the 1757
sacking of Bago. An 1860 attempt to rebuild it was unsuccessful and the great
earthquake of 1930 levelled it, after which it remained a ruin. This current reconstruction
was completed in 1982.
Shwemawdaw Paya
Shwemawdaw Paya stands northeast of Myanmar train station. You can’t miss this
Myanmar stupa, as its height of 114 m dominates Bago town. The Shwemawdaw
Myanmar paya is said to be over 1000 years old and was originally build by the
Mon King to the height of 23m to enshrine two hairs of Buddha. In 825 Myanmar
Shwemawdaw Paya was raised to 25m and then to 27m in 840. In 982 a sacred tooth
was added to the collection in 1385 another tooth was added and this Myanmar
stupa was rebuilt to a towering 84m. In 1492, the year Columbus sailed the
Atlantic, a wind blew over the hti (umbrella like pinnacle) Hti Roe in Burmese
and new one was raised. Myanmar King Bodawpaya, in the reconstruction of
Myanmar Bago after the ravages of Myanmar king Alaungpaya, rebuilt the stupa to
91m in 1796, but from that point it has had a rather chequered career. A new
Hti Roe was added in 1882, but a major earthquake in 1912 brought it down.
Shwemawdaw Myanmar stupa was repaired, but in 1917 major quake again brought it
down and caused serious damage in Myanmar. Again it was repaired, but in 1930
the biggest earthquake of them all completely leveled Shwemawdaw stupa and for
the next years only the huge earth mound of the base remained.
Reconstruction of the
Myanmar Shwemawdaw Paya commenced in 1952 and was completed in 1954, when
Shwemawdaw paya reaches its present height. The glittering golden top of the
stupa reaches 14m higher than Shwedagon in Yangon. At the northeastern corner
of the stupa, a huge section of the Hti tipped by the 1917 earthquake has been
mounted into the structure of the stupa. It is a sobering reminder of the power
of such Myanmar geological disturbances.
Shwethalyaung
Reclining Buddha
his Myanmar reclining Buddha is so big that from looking up from the bottom
steps it’s impossible to determine exactly what’s ahead of you. The golden slap
you see is only the torso. Measuring 55 m long and 16 m high and Myanmar
Shwethalyaung Pagoda is 9 m longer than the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho in
Bangkok, but still 19 m short of the Myanmar Buddha in Dawei. You’ll find the
Shwethalyaung to the west of the Yangon Bago road, only a little more than 1 km
to the Yangon side of Myanmar train station. A sign on the platform in front of
the image gives the measurements of each body part the little finger alone
extends 3.05m. The Shwethalyaung is reputed to be one of the most lifelike of
all Myanmar reclining Buddhas. Myanmar Burmese people say the images represents
Myanmar Buddha in a relaxing mode instead of parinibbana (death) since the eyes
are wide open and the feet lie slightly splayed rather than parallel. Myanmar
Bago Shwethalyaung Buddha is originally built of brick and stucco in 994 by the
Mon King Migadepa II, Myanmar Bago pagoda Shwethalyaung was allowed to
deteriorate and was then restored several times before the destruction of
Myanmar Bago in 1757.
Hintha Gon Paya
Located behind the Shwemawdaw Pagoda, this shrine has good views over Myanmar
Bago town from the roofed platform on the hilltop. According to Myanmar legend,
this was the one point rising from the sea when the mythological bird landed
here. A stature of the bird, looking rather like the figures on opium weights,
tops the hill. This Myanmar stupa was built by U Khanti, the Burmese hermit
monk who was also the architect of Myanmar Mandalay Hill. You can walk to it by
taking the steps down the other side of the Shwemawdaw Paya from the main
entrance. Across town we can visit Bago’s largest monastery – home to about 400
monks.
Winga Baw Elephant
Camp
Just about 60 km north from Yangon, for any nature and animal lovers, don’t
miss a natural setting in Bago region called Winga Baw Elephant camp, also
known as one of few important elephant orphanage of Myanmar. Here you could get
some heartwarming experiences with friendly young elephants that used to live
in different remote forests around the country. Besides watching elephant
dancing show at 8:30 am, enjoy your time playing with these gentle giants or
feeding them with milk, canes or corns before witnessing them in their natural
habitat as they roam over the nearby jungle. Be prepared for surprise as
sometimes they could appear out of nowhere after a while hiding away among the
bushes. Just slow down and have your sense put in turn for nature and wild
beloved friends.
Kanbawzathadi Golden
palace
The original site of Hanthawady which surrounded a former Mon place was
excavated just south of the huge shwemawdaw Paya in Myanmar Bago. Walled in the
Mon style, the square city measured 1.8 km along each side and has 20 gates.
The palace compound in the center, known as Kanbawzathadi, housed Myanmar King
Bayinnaung from 1553 to 1599 and covered 82 hectares. About 26 hectares of this
area have been excavated. The small, well stocked, octagon shaped museum
displays Mon, Siamese and Myanmar Bagan style Buddha; clay tobacco pipes;
glazed tiles and pots; bronze weights and scales; pieces of the original teak
stockade; and weaponry.
Kya Kha Wain Kyaung
Monastery in Bago
During my Bago day trip (Bago is about 2 hour
from Yangon, former capital of Myanmar), ones were able to see one of the
monastic schools, Kha Khat Wain Kyaung Monastery is one of three largest
monasteries in Myanmar. The sight of some 500 monks and novices filing out in
the early morning from one of largest monasteries in Myanmar to collect alms is
worth getting up early for. Otherwise, join the tour groups visiting at 10.30am
to see the monks eating lunch in a giant hall. You’re free to wander around; most
of the monks think it’s hilarious that tourists come and watch them eat, but
the atmosphere is a bit zoo-like there is about 500,000 Buddhist monks in
Myanmar and over 1000 monastic schools which providing primary and secondary
education to more than 100,000 Myanmar children.
