More Pagodas
In this land of pagodas, Yangon has its fair share aside from the Shwedagon: Tiny gold spires can be spotted even by the side of downtown streets that were once dusty paths meandering through the woods.
Bigger pagodas - such as Chaukhtatgyi with its immense reclining Buddha image; Ngahtatgyi with its crowned seated image; Kohtatgyi, which houses another seated Buddha, this one 20 metres high; and the riverside Botahtaung Pagoda and its unusual hollow spire - offer fascinating insights into Buddhism.
Many of These sues have interesting stories attached to them.
Mei La Mu Pagoda, located near Yangon International Airport, is believed to be the merit of a lady born out of a la-mu fruit (mangrove plant) and raised by a hermit. She bore a son by th the Celestials, who grew up to become King Okkalapa, the original donor of Shwedagon Mei La Mu Pagoda eventually fell into disrepair only to be found in ruins years later and rebuilt using public donations. Large plaster figures within the compound depict her story, as well as scenes the various incarnations of the Lord Buddha. Children consider it a fairyland of mythical and strange beings come to life, including a concrete, walk through crocodile that was surely donated by someone young at heart.
Another pagoda far from downtown is Ah Lain Nga Sint, which was built according to an architectural plan that the donor abbot saw in is dreams for years. The gilded spires are shaped like onion domes normally seen in Byzantine architecture. The abbot passed away a long time ago, but his body rests preserved in a glass coffin n a pavilion on the pagoda grounds.
In the same area is the biggest marble Buddha statue in the country - the 37-foot-high Lawka Chantha Abhaya Lahba Muni, which neans Great Image that Protects the World from Strife and Brings It Joy and Prosperity. Sule ‘Pagoda, the small gold spire that marks the city’s centre, remains a charming oasis of calm amid the bustle of Yangon city life.
