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Seinnyet Nyima Paya & Seinnyet Ama Pahto
This stupa and shrine stand side by side (about 820 feet north of New Bagan) and are traditionally ascribed to Queen Seinnyet in the 11th century, although the architecture clearly points to a period two centuries later. The zedi rests on three terraces and is topped by a beautiful
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Myanmar Vineyard
Located at Aythaya, 3 miles west of Taunggyi, this vineyard – the countrys first – sits at an elevation of 4290ft on well-watered, limestone-rich soils, providing good growing conditions for Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Moscato grapes. Open daily fo
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Setkyathiha Paya
Mostly hidden behind shopfronts, this large elevated pagoda complex includes a ‘golden rock’ look-alike and a sacred bodhi tree planted by U Nu, Myanmar’s first post-independence prime minister. However, it is best known for an impressive 17ft-high seated bronze Buddha, cast in 182
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Mahamyatmuni Paya
South of the central area, Mahamyatmuni Paya is the biggest and grandest pagoda in the main town. The large brass-faced Buddha image here was inspired by the famous Mahamuni Buddha in Mandalay. He’s now backed by an acid-trip halo of pulsating coloured lights that would seem better
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Stone Carvers
West of Mahamuni Paya there are a whole series of workshops where you can see slabs of rock being blasted, chipped and polished into Buddhas of all sizes. Souvenir carvings are also made, notably little marble elephants. You can spot several workshops along the Sagaing–Mandalay Rd
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Mt Kyaiktiyo
The excursion to the incredible balancing boulder stupa, called Kyaiktiyo, is a must-do. The small stupa, just 7.3m (24ft) high, sits atop the Gold Rock, a massive, gold-leafed boulder delicately balanced on the edge of a cliff at the top of Mt Kyaikto. This is one of the most sacr
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Sri Varatha Raja Perumal
Dedicated to Vishnu, this lavishly decorated Hindu temple dates to 1927 and has the classic South Indian gopuram style of of entrance tower. It can easily be combined with a visit to the nearby teahouse Lucky Seven and is a location for catching the Murugan Festival (commonly known
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Payagyi Paya
Once marking one of Thayekhittaya’s four corners, this towering pagoda probably dates from the 5th or 6th century AD. Three terraces encircle the slightly swollen, breastlike structure from its base; ‘ladies’ are not allowed on the upper one. The modern hti is lit up at night and l
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Kaba Aye Paya
This overly glitzy ‘world peace’ zedi, about 5 miles north of the city centre, was built for the 1954–56 Sixth Buddhist Synod. The centrepiece is a 118ft-high hollow paya with five gateways each guarded by an image of Buddha. In the centre is a statue that has claimed to be the lar
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Hsin Hpyu Daw
A small, unmarked park close by the Kyauk Daw Kyi is home to four white elephants – actually light pink in colour. Found upcountry and brought to Yangon in 2002, their discovery was regarded, by the military at least, as a good omen for the country. The elephants, who spend much of
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Sitagu Buddhist Academy
Set up in 1994 to educate the brightest young monks, the academys centrepiece is a Sanchi-style hemispherical stupa, gilded and embossed with dharma-wheel patterns. In the surrounding arcade are photos of Asias great Buddhist sites, often shown as holiday-style snaps featuring the
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National Landmarks Garden
This extensive hilly park is dotted with representations of famous landmarks from around Myanmar. Some are pretty tacky. The entrance is across the main road from National Kandawgyi Gardens, a little to the north of its southern (main) entrance. There is also an amusement park just
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Old City Moat
During its 18th-century heyday, the palace was at the heart of an enormous walled city. The walls are now almost entirely gone but some parts of the wide moat are well-preserved. The most attractive is the section around 2 miles north of town near Maw Daw Myin Tha Paya , a pagoda b
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Myeik Harbour
Myeiks vast harbourfront is worth a stroll to watch stevedores loading and offloading cargo from ships big and small. Until it was destroyed in 2001, the southern end of the harbour was also home to the tomb of Mary Povey White, the wife of the notorious Siamese-employed harbourmas
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Nampan
The peaceful village of Nampan is built on stilts over the water. Its main temple, Alodaw Pauk Pagoda , is one of the oldest shrines on the lake, and the whitewashed stupa enshrines a fabulous gem-encrusted, Shan-style buddha. Nampan has several small cheroot factories and there ar
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Mann Paya
In the complex about 500yd west of the Paya Thonzu, the Mann Paya is a modern pagoda housing a 20ft gold buddha made of straw lacquer. As the story goes, the buddha image was originally located near Monywa and was washed downstream during an 1888 monsoon, all the way to Salay. Ask
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Gem Museum
The one-room exhibition hall at this government-run museum is a snooze. Have some fun walking around faster than the attendants who scuttle behind switching on and off the lights in cabinets displaying, among other things, pearls, rubies, silverware, jade and a big lump of coal. Do
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City Walls
Old Inwa was protected by rivers to north and east, canals to south and west and ringed by city walls. Much of the canal and several sections of wall remain, including some chunky rampart sections above the southern canal. By horse-cart tour the only bit you’re likely to see is the
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Central Riverfront
Hsipaw’s riverside produce market is most interesting before dawn when the road outside is jammed with hill-villagers (Shan, Palaung, Lisu) selling their wares: all are gone by 7am. Between here and the large central market are four column-fronted 19th-century godowns (warehouses)
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Shwe
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 various curious
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