Burma/Myanmar (depending on where you’re from) is fascinating with its rich cultural heritage, golden pagodas and ancient architectural wonders. It is a great destination with a lot to offer, here are some of the best sights to see, courtesy of Ampersand Travel:
SHWEDAGON PAYA IN YANGON
The Shwedagon Paya is a gigantic golden stupa dominating the northern skyline of the city of Yangon. The massive pagoda has been around for about 2 500 years; it is not only a remarkable architectural achievement but also a perfect religious symbol for the Burmese Buddhists. It is the holiest of holies and a national identity symbol, where in recent decades; political rallies for prodemocracy movement have been hosted here.
The Shwedagon Paya is best viewed at sunset when the warm light of the sun have a transformative effect on the gold encrusted pagoda and its myriad subsidiary shrines, creating one of the most glorious sights on the planet.
DHAMMAYANGYI TEMPLE IN BAGAN
Dhammayangyi Temple is one of the best-preserved and largest temples in the southeast of the Shwesandaw. Narathu one of the rulers of Bagan built the temple as an atonement for his sins after having murdered his father and brother. Local legend asserts that he, Narathu oversaw the building himself and that he executed masons if a needle could push through any of the bricks they had laid. However, the shrine was never completed as he was assassinated before he could finish building.
DELTA REGION
The Ayeyarwaddy River reaches its destination in this region depositing silt here and fraying like the ends of an old rope into hundreds of narrow, sinuous channels. It is a very fertile region because of the deposited silt and is the rice bowl of Myanmar, forming a giant patchwork of lime green paddy and meandering waterways. Though the major income generating activity here is rice farming, you can also find small fish farms in this region.
INLE LAKE
Inle Lake is the top attraction in the Shan state, one of its most iconic images is the picture of an Intha fisherman rowing with one leg past a backdrop of mist-shrouded mountains over the shimmering waters of the Inle Lake. Located in the mountainous northeast of the country, this region is impressive with idyllic stilted villages, age-old stupa complexes and beautiful backdrops of lush green hills. Aside from the distinctive rowing technique in this region, it is also famous for its floating gardens. Crops such as cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, pea’s beans and aubergine grow here all year round.
GOLDEN ROCK OF MOUNT KYAIKTIYO
The Golden Rock forms one of the most ethereal spectacles of Southeast Asia. It crowns a ridge of lush forested hills in the far north of Mon State east of Yangon around the Gulf of Mottama. It is the third most sacred sites in the country after Shwedagon Pagoda and Maha Muni image in Mandalay. It consists of a 7.3-meter stupa mounted atop a lavishly gilded boulder. According to Buddhist belief, its precarious position that defies gravity is because of the presence of a strand of Buddha’s hair, which prevents the rock from toppling into the sheer-sided ravine below.
