Page 124 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

122 The DelTa anD wesTern MyanMar Sittwe
soldiers. It’s difficult to see much of the mosque now, as it’s shielded by high walls and
being rapidly reclaimed by the prolific tropical vegetation, although you can catch a
few glimpses of the florid colonial-era building, its Neoclassical ground floor complete
with incongruous Doric columns topped with a flamboyant mass of diminutive domes
and miniature minarets.
A further block south, the trees opposite the Shwe Thazin hotel (see p.124) are home
to an enormous colony of fruit bats, hanging spookily from the trees in big black
2 clusters by day, then waking at dusk and swirling above the streets before setting off to
hunt through the night.

Cultural Museum
• Main Rd • Tues–Sun 10am–4pm • $5
Sittwe’s lacklustre Cultural Museum serves to fill an hour – just. Ground-floor exhibits
focus on Rakhine culture and crafts, and provide an introduction to the moves of
Rakhine wrestling. Rakhine history (see box, p.120) takes over on the first floor. Most
impressive is the 3m-tall Anandacandra Pillar, commissioned by King Anandacandra
in 729 and recording the achievements of the previous 37 Rakhine monarchs in faded
Sanskrit – the only surviving historical record of the entire Wethali (Vesali) period.
Bhaddanta Wannita Museum
• Main Rd, 1.5km north of the centre • No fixed opening hours, although there’s likely to be someone around to
let you in • Free; donations appreciated
Housed in a fine old colonial mansion north of the centre, the Maha Kuthala Kyaung
Tawgyi monastery is home to the Bhaddanta Wannita Museum, showcasing (if that’s the
right word) the great heaps of bric-a-brac collected by the late Venerable U Bhaddanta
Wannita. The museum’s dusty display cases are stuffed full of coins, notes, Buddhas,
pipes, bits of coral and a couple of golfing trophies. Nothing’s actually labelled, and
– although most of it is just the rambling collection of a man who clearly couldn’t bear
to throw anything out – the overall effect is interesting. Resident monks often hang
around wanting to practise their English.

Lawkananda Pagoda
• Airport Rd • Daily 6am–9pm • Free
A short walk southwest of the centre is the imposing Lawkananda Pagoda, Sittwe’s
principal temple. The huge Shwedagon-style pagoda (the gift of military ruler Than
Shwe in 1997) sits on a vast, empty terrace covered in jazzy blue and white tiles, with
four faux-antique stone doorways leading into the opulent interior, which is painted in
wall-to-wall gold and red with numerous gilded pillars supporting the domed ceiling.
From the west side of the terrace, steps lead down to a small octagonal pavilion
topped with a many-tiered gilded roof, like a very fancy hat. This is home to the
exquisite Sakyamuni Buddha, a 45cm-high bronze Buddha said to be more than two
thousand years old. The statue is seated in the earth-witness pose, holding a star-shaped
dharmachakra (“wheel of dharma”) and clad in a robe and hat covered with more than
a thousand finely carved mini-Buddhas.

View Point
• K2000 by tuk-tuk
The best place to appreciate Sittwe’s superb natural setting is at the beautiful View Point
(or just “The Point”), 3km south of town along the peaceful waterfront road. There’s
also a small café here (daily 6am–9pm), which is a great place for a beer while watching
the sunset over the waves. The viewpoint is a pleasant 45-minute walk from town or
a short tuk-tuk ride.

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