Bagaya Kyaung

Myanmar (Burma)


If you want to squeeze full value out of your Mandalay 'combo' ticket, head to this 1996 concrete-pillared reconstruction of an early 19th-century monastery. It has plenty of flying wooden filigree roof work, a substantial ancient library of Pali scripts and a museum of 19th-century buddha images, but few travellers are greatly impressed. Nearby there are several distinctive tobacco-drying barns and, further east, the hefty ruins of two former palace buildings.


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Nearby Myanmar (Burma) attractions

1. Wok Foundry

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You can see giant woks being cast at this fascinating little foundry, located near Bagaya Kyaung. There are no real hours – these guys seem to work…

2. Pahtodawgyi

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This vast bell-shaped pagoda, erected by King Bagyidaw in 1820, is the tallest structure (185ft) for miles around. Men only are allowed to climb halfway…

3. Shwe Linmin Paya

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This attractive 19th-century square-based stupa has a gold spire and white/ice-blue lower sections from a 2006 makeover. It's set in a nursery of…

4. Palace Ruins

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There's not much to see at these ruins beyond crumbling foundations and kids playing, but they do make for an atmospheric detour. They're just east of…

5. Kyo Aung Sanda

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Little visited, this curious latter-day monastery features massive seated and reclining Buddhas, a hall-of-mirrors-like prayer hall full of monk-posture…

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Hand-worked silk-weaving workshop that welcomes visitors without sales pressure.

7. Maha Ganayon Kyaung

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8. Kyauktawgyi Paya

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Around 200yd beyond the eastern end of U-Bein Bridge, this 1847 pagoda, built by Pagan Min, was supposedly modelled on the larger Ananda Pahto at Bagan,…