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Sagaing

A crest of green hills studded with white and gold pagodas marks the "skyline" of Saigang (စစ္ကိုင္း), a religious pilgrimage center that resembles Bagan with elevation. This pretty, friendly town is a major monastic center and a somewhat serene escape from Mandalay's constant hum. No individual pagoda stands out as a particular must-see, but taken together the whole scene is enthralling. A highlight is walking the sometimes steep covered stairways that lead past monasteries and nunneries to viewpoints from which you can survey the river and an undulating landscape of emerald hills and stupas.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Sagaing.

Buddhist Temple
Soon U Pon Nya Shin Paya
This ‘early offering shrine’ is the most important of the temples on Sagaing Hill’s southern crown and the first you’ll come to on climbing the One Lion stairway. Notice the bronze frogs that serve as a collection box in the rather gaudy Buddha hall – the hill was originally thought to resemble a giant toad, a superstitious blessing that inspired Sagaing's development in the 14th century. The central 97ft-high gilded stupa was originally conceived in 1312.
Buddhist Temple
Tilawkaguru
At the foot of the great temple-studded hills of Sagaing, you’ll find this little-visited cave monastery. Supposedly built around the 1670s, Tilawkaguru is filled with some of the most impressive preserved cave paintings in the country. Vivid frescoes depict the life (and past lives) of the Buddha, animals, warriors, battles, merchants, courtesans, kings, peasants and vivid menageries of mythological creatures. Finding the keyholder can be challenging.
Buddhist Stupa
Kaunghmudaw Paya
Five miles northwest of central Sagaing, Kaunghmudaw Paya is a vast gilded pudding of a stupa rising 150ft high. It was built in 1636 to commemorate Inwa’s re-establishment as the royal capital. According to local tradition, the king agonised interminably over how to shape the stupa. His queen, tired of hubby’s indecisiveness, ripped open her blouse and, pointing to her breast, said: ‘Make it like this!’
University
Sitagu Buddhist Academy
Set up in 1994 to educate the brightest young monks, this academy is a major intellectual centre for Theravada Buddhism. The centrepiece is a Sanchi-style hemispherical stupa, gilded and embossed with dharma-wheel patterns. In the surrounding arcade are photos of Asia's great Buddhist sites, often shown as holiday-style snaps featuring the university's founder-monk Ashin Nyanissara.
Buddhist Stupa
Shwe-kyet-kya
One of the best places from which to appreciate Sagaing is from across the river at this little bluff with a cascade of small stupas. It’s part of a pair, with the bigger Shwe-kyet-yet on a gentle rise across the road. The name, meaning Golden Fowl’s Run, relates to curious legends from one of Buddha's supposed past lives…as a chicken.
Buddhist Site
U Min Thonze Caves
Around a 10-minute walk south of Soon U Pon Nya Shin, U Min Thonze Caves (literally '30 Caves') is a temple complex famed for its crescent-shaped colonnade of 45 buddha images.
Buddhist Pagoda
Shin Pin Nan Kain
Shin Pin Nan Kain's brass-clad stupa sits on a hilltop that's lower than Sagaing Hill, but has even better panoramas.
Bridge
Ava Bridge
Linking Sagaing and Amarapura are two parallel bridges, each with multiple metal-framed spans. The 16-span 1934 Ava Bridge was partly demolished in 1942 to deny passage to advancing Japanese troops. It wasn’t repaired until 1954. The larger modern Sagaing Bridge, completed in 2005, is a bit of a surprise, considering the relatively rural surroundings of the roadways that access it.
Buddhist Stupa
Htuparyon Paya
This gigantic stupa, originally built in 1444, is unusual for having three circular storeys each incorporating arched niches. Across the street, a garden of garish statues includes a particularly fearsome red cobra.