Burma's Best Buddhist Monuments

Burma's Best Buddhist Monuments

Posted by: Sarah @ Insight On: 04 Apr 2013

Burma possesses an incredible and wide range of Buddhist architectural styles, in no small part due to the eclectic nature of Burmese Theravada Buddhism, which incorporates elements from a range of sources.

The sheer number of Buddhist structures scattered throughout the country leaves a lasting impression on visitors. Think of Burma's attractions and it's likely that the glorious golden stupas and enormous Buddhas will be the first things that spring to mind. Many Burmese Buddhist monuments are exquisitely beautiful and all reflect the legacy of the country's Buddhist merit-making traditions: building temples, shrines or stupas has traditionally been seen as a way of improving rebirth conditions and compensating for transgressions committed in the present life, while raising funds for a pagoda to be built brings the sponsor respect and status in the current life.

See below for our top ten Buddhist momuments in Burma: 

1. Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

Thousands of pilgrims stream daily around the precincts of Burma's most splendid religious monument (see main image) – a structure of otherworldly beauty.

2. Chantha Abhaya Labha Muni, Yangon

Quarried and sculpted in Mandalay from a single block of marble, this milky white Buddha is a modern masterpiece. 

3. Shwemawdaw Pagoda, Bago

Bago’s magnificent stupa, smothered in gold and precious stones, outstrips even the Shwedagon for size, if not national importance. 

4. Shwethalyaung Buddha, Bago

Dating from the zenith of Burma’s Second Empire, this colossal reclining Buddha is regarded as the one that best expresses the Master’s attainment of Nirvana. 

5. Mahamuni, Mandalay

Burma's number one Buddha, a serene-faced giant, was brought to Mandalay from Rakhaing (Arakan) as war booty in the 18th century. 

6. Bodhi Tataung, Monywa (Mandalay)

Among the most surreal sights in Southeast Asia are the two vast Buddhas – one standing, one reclined – on this hilltop to the east of Monywa. 

7. Pho Win Taung Caves, Monywa (Mandalay)

An ancient complex of hand-hewn caves containing rows of antique sculptures and murals, buried deep in the countryside west of the Chindwin River. 

8. Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan

The most revered of Bagan’s two-thousand-odd surviving shrines. Pilgrims pour through it year-round, but in particularly large numbers during the annual festival. 

9. Win Sein Taw Ya, near Mawlamyine (Mon State)

The country’s largest reclining Buddha rests on a ridgetop near the former colonial capital of Mawlamyine (Moulmein) – a diorama inside recounts moral tales and stories from the Master’s life. 

10. Golden Rock Pagoda, Kyaiktiyo (Mon State)

An historic monument of breathtaking beauty perched on the rim of a precipice, the exquisite Golden Rock Pagoda can only be reached after an hour’s uphill climb. 

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