Until 1989, Yangon had an English name – Rangoon. The city was the capital of Burma (Myanmar from 1989) from 1948 to 2005. Yangon is completely covered with vegetation, and wherever a tourist is, there will be several pagodas in his field of vision.
According to Top-mba-universities,the main attraction of Yangon – Shwedagon Pagoda (Shwedagon). It was built in 585 BC. e., this is the oldest stupa in the world. She stands on top of a hill and dominates the city. The Shwedagon is 110 meters high and has a conical shape. The lower part of the pagoda is covered with gold leaf, while the upper part is lined with golden tiles. 8,000 gold sheets, 5,000 diamonds and 2,000 precious and semi-precious stones were used to decorate it. The Shwedagon contains 4 Buddha hairs. The pagoda is surrounded by 64 small pagodas, statues, temples and pavilions.
Not far from Shwedagon is the Maha Wizaya Pagoda, which was built in 1980. It was decorated by the best contemporary Burmese craftsmen. The pagoda contains an image of the Buddha, which was donated by the king of Nepal.
At the western entrance to Shwedagon are the City Gardens, which cover an area of about 53 hectares. The gardens contain a small museum displaying the national costumes of the peoples living in Myanmar. Sule Pagoda is located in the center of Yangon. It was built in the 5th century BC. e. The pagoda is a 48-meter octagonal golden stupa. Around it, it is worth looking at the Independence Tower, Town Hall and the Courthouse, built in the colonial style. At Chauk HtatKyi Pagoda on the northern outskirts of Yangon exhibited the largest marble Buddha statue in the world. This giant reclining Buddha was created around the 9th century CE. e., its weight exceeds 400 tons, its length reaches 65 m, and its height is 30 m.
Of the sights of Yangon, the Botahtaung Pagoda on the banks of the Yangon River and the Kabar Aye Pagoda (“Universal Peace Pagoda”) are also interesting, which was built in 1952 to commemorate the 2500th anniversary of Buddhism. Yangon’s most popular museum – National Museum which was opened in 1952. Here, on 4 floors in 14 halls, extensive historical collections are exhibited, among which you can see the famous golden throne of Sikhasana-Lyon 8 m high and the regalia of all Burmese kings. Be sure to head to the Kandogi Gardens with a lake surrounded by lush vegetation. In the center of the lake there is a ship that was built in 1972 in the form of a mystical caravaik bird. This colorful ship consists of three decks, where restaurants and ceremony rooms are located. You can also relax in the city zoo. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century on an area of 23 hectares. Now there are about 200 species of animals. The main shopping outlets of the city are the largest market in Yangon , Teingyi Tsey. and the shopping district of Bokeike.
Bago (Pegu) The city of Bago is located 70 km north of Yangon. It is believed that it was here that the first Mon tribes decided to settle. In 1757, the city was destroyed by one of the Burmese kings, after which only a few historical buildings remain.
The main attraction of the city is the second largest Buddha statue in the world. It represents a reclining Buddha 55 m long and about 16 m high, its age is about 1000 years. Also interesting in Bago are the ancient Shwemawdaw Pagoda, KyaikPun Pagoda and Mahazedi Pagoda. (Mahazedi). Kayak Pun is made in the form of four giant Buddhas sitting around a quadrangular tower, the face of each of which looks at one of the main parts of the world. The Mahazedi Pagoda houses the tooth of the Buddha, which was brought from Sri Lanka.
From Bago, you can go to the city of Kyaikto, which is located in the state of Mon, 160 km from Yangon. Near it, at an altitude of 1100 m above sea level, on the top of the mountain, there is the famous Golden Stone. (The Golden Rock). From the city of Kyaikto, a hiking trail and a road lead to the mountain, which can be reached by car. At the top there is a gilded oval-shaped block of stone, on which a small pagoda 5.5 m high is built. The block hangs directly over the abyss and seems to be about to fall down. It is believed that it does not fall due to the fact that Buddha’s hair is stored here. According to legend, more than 2500 years ago, a newly ordained monk received the hair of the Buddha, he was looking for a place where he could store it, while wearing the hair of the Buddha in his hair. One day, he came across a huge boulder that looked like his head, on which he decided to build a pagoda to store the received shrine. A huge number of pilgrims come to this place every year, especially in the last month of the Burmese year – Thabang (March).
Northwest of Bago is the city of Prome (Pew). In ancient times, it was known as Shrikshetra – the center of the state of the Pyu peoples. In the vicinity of Prome, the remains of medieval city walls, temples and numerous pagodas have been preserved, including the famous Shwesandaw Pagoda, as well as Gautama Hill with numerous images of the Buddha, Payama Stupa and Payagyi. Not far from Prome is the city of Shwedong, where the Shwemyethman pagoda is located with a Buddha in gold glasses, which helps against eye diseases.
In the Delta of the Ayeyarwaddy River, west of Yangon, the city of Pathein (Basin) is of interest.. It is a port city from which you can take a cruise on the Ayeyarwaddy River. Not far from it, on the coast of the Andaman Sea, stands the Mawtinson Pagoda, which is in the water most of the year. Every year in February-March, colorful festivals dedicated to the pagoda are held here.
