Page 195 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

Yangon to Bagan Central MyanMar 193
One of the oldest settlements in Myanmar, Pyay’s history stretches back to the days
of ancient Sri Ksetra (see p.358). The town subsequently developed into a major centre
during the colonial era after being captured by the British in 1825 (who named it
“Prome”) and then retaken in 1852 during the Second Anglo-Burmese War. Burma’s
first railway line was completed here in 1877, connecting colonial Prome with
Rangoon, while at the end of the colonial period the city was the scene of major
fighting between British and Japanese forces during World War II.
The market
Strand Rd, 10min walk north of the centre • Most stalls open daily 8am–6pm
North of the centre is Pyay’s large, interesting and slightly chaotic market. A long row of
thanaka-wood vendors sit lined up along the waterfront at the front of the market – the
Shinmadaung thanaka tree (one of several used to produce thanaka paste; see box, p.7)
grows abundantly in the Pyay district, and although mass-produced thanaka creams are
widely available, many Burmese still prefer to grind their own. There’s a large Chinese
temple on the corner of Ta Yoke Tann Street on the south side of the market.
Shwesandaw Pagoda and around
• Bogyoke Rd • Daily 6am–9pm • K3000
The main sight in town is the Shwesandaw Pagoda (“Golden Hair Relic Temple”),
which rises high above the southern side of Bogyoke Road, to which it’s connected by
160 steep stairs lined with shops (there’s also a lift, although – as ever – it’s much more
fun to walk). The majestic central stupa, said to contain a couple of the Buddha’s hairs, 4
is one of the largest and most dazzling in the country – a metre taller than the
Shwedagon in Yangon itself, with every surface gilded and polished to a glittering,
golden sheen. The spire, topped (unusually) with not one but two hti, is
uncharacteristically large in relation to the bell below, giving the whole thing a
distinctively slender outline – particularly spectacular when floodlit at night.
In the northeast corner of the courtyard the small and dusty Pyay Shwe San Daw
Museum (donation) houses assorted monastic artefacts, including a beautiful miniature
karaweik and a couple of intricately carved ivory tusks. Also on display are a few
interesting old photos, including shots of the Gurkha Rifles entering Prome in 1945.
Slightly further around (heading clockwise), a tiny model of the stupa sits in what
looks like a giant birdcage, with good views of the Sehtatgyi Pagoda (see below) to the
rear. On the south side of the terrace, a shrine holds a replica of the Buddha’s Tooth
Relic from Sri Lanka – which is said to have been stored alongside the original tooth in
Kandy (the second city of Sri Lanka and home of its most important Buddhist shrine),
and thus to have been similarly charged with spiritual power.
Just east of the temple, you can’t fail to see the enormous Sehtatgyi Pagoda (“Big
Ten-Storey”) Buddha, seated in the earth-witness mudra facing the Shwesandaw, his
eyes more or less level with the temple terrace, and clearly visible from it.

Thayekhittaya (Sri Ksetra)
• Pyay Rd • Daily 9am–4pm • $5 • Ox-cart tours around K8000 per cart, depending on the number of people •
A motorbike taxi to the site costs around K3000 each way
Some 8km east of Pyay lie the scant remains of ancient Thayekhittaya – or Sri Ksetra,
as it was known in its heyday – the great Pyu city that held dominion over large swathes
of central Myanmar between the fifth and ninth centuries (see p.358). The slight aura
of desolation that hangs over the impressively large site is haunting, offering faint hints
of the once great city now virtually erased from the map. Thayekhittaya’s glory days may
be long gone, but in 2014 UNESCO recognized its historical importance by making it
(along with Beikthano and Halin) a World Heritage Site – the first in Myanmar.
Thayekhittaya’s most impressive monuments are a trio of enormous stupas, said to
be three of the nine commissioned by the city’s founder, King Duttabaung. These are

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