lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

AROUND YANGON DELTA REGION78from the original Bodhi tree mixed with cementcomposite. He then placed the imageson four wooden rafts and set the rafts adrifton the ocean. One landed in Dawei (Tavoy),another at Kyaikkami (Amherst), another atKyaiktiyo (this one is now at Kyaikpawlaw);and the fourth landed near Phondawpyi, afishing village about 60 miles south of Pathein,from where it was transferred to Pathein.A marble standing buddha positionedin a niche in the fence running along thewestern side of the stupa marks a spot whereMon warriors once prayed before going off tobattle. In the northwestern corner of the compoundis a shrine dedicated to Shin Upagot,the Bodhisattva who floats on the ocean andappears to those in trouble. Turtles swim inthe water surrounding the small pavilion.Also in this northwest corner is an unusualgolden Ganesh shrine, dedicated to theelephant-headed god worshipped by Hindusas the god of wisdom and wealth.Settayaw PayaBUDDHIST TEMPLEck'et;'r;.urC"Of the several lesser-known shrines inPathein, perhaps the most charming is SettayawPaya, dedicated to a mythical Buddhafootprint left by the Enlightened One duringhis legendary perambulations throughSoutheast Asia.The paya compound in the northeast oftown wraps over a couple of green hillocksthat are dotted with well-constructed tazaung(shrine buildings) – altogether a nicesetting and a change from the flat paya compoundsnear the river. The footprint symbolitself is an oblong, 3ft-long impression.Other Religious MonumentsThe Twenty-Eight Paya is a rectangularshrine containing 28 sitting and 28 standingbuddha images. None of them are particularlydistinguished except that the latter appearin the open-robe style rather than theclosed-robe pose that is typical of Mandalaystanding images.At one end of the hall stands a group ofcrude sculptures depicting a scene from theBuddha’s life in which he teaches a disciplethe relativity of physical beauty by comparinga monkey, the disciple’s wife and a deva(celestial being). You may have to ask thecaretaker to unlock the building.More interesting from an artistic perspectiveis Tagaung Mingala Zeditaw (TagaungPaya), south of town, which is centred on agraceful stupa that sweeps inward from awide, whitewashed base to a gleaming silversuperstructure.Look for the small squirrel sculpture extendingfrom the western side of the upperstupa, representing a previous life of theBuddha as a squirrel. One of the pavilionsat the base of the stupa contains a very largesitting buddha image.West of Tagaung Mingala Zeditaw, a littleway towards the river, stands MahabodhiMingala Zedi, patterned after the Mahabodhistupa in Bodhgaya, India. LeikyunynaungPaya, about a mile directly south of Mahabodhi,was renovated by the State Law & OrderRestoration Council (Slorc), now the StatePeace and Development Council (SPDC), inthe early 1990s to create a facsimile of AnandaPaya in Bagan. Few people outside the governmentworship here now, reportedly becauseforced labour was used in the renovation.These paya are located south of town offMerchant St, but can be somewhat hard tofind. Your best bet is to hire a trishaw driver,who will probably charge around K2000.MarketsAt the night market (Strand Rd) that is setup each evening in front of Customs House,teenagers cruise, flirt and hang out whilevendors purvey food, clothing and tools andjust about every other requisite for daily lifeat low prices. Just south of ShwemokhtawPaya is the central market (hMon-Sat), andjust south of that is a new market (hMon-Sat), with all manner of goods.zFestivals & EventsVesakhaThe people of Pathein celebrate the Buddha’sbirth, enlightenment and passingaway with a huge paya pwe (pagodafestival) during the full moon of Kason(April/May). The festival is held at theShwemokhtaw Paya.RELIGIOUS4SleepingThe sleeping options in this city are a sorrylot, no doubt because most people race righton through to the beaches. The hotels’ electricitysupplies are at the mercy of the citywiderationing schedule, which means poweris usually available from early evening toearly morning.Those wishing to avoid governmentownedproperties (see p 21 ) should steer clearof the Pathein Hotel, a two-storey buildingon spacious grounds near the bus station.