Kyaikthanlan Pagoda

The tallest and most famous of the pagodas that line the ridge above Mawlamyaing, Kyaikthanlan dates in its present form to the ninth century though it has been rebuilt and extended many times since. The gilded stupa rises 46 metres above a broad terrace surrounded by smaller shrines, Buddha images, and a series of pavilions containing devotional art. An elevator serves the pagoda compound for those who prefer not to climb.

The view from the terrace is the best in the city: the wide Thanlwin River below, Bilu Island in the middle distance, and the forested limestone hills of Kayin State rising on the far bank. Come at sunset when the light is low and the gilding catches it. The pagoda is an active place of worship — shoes off before the terrace and dress modestly.

things to do sight
A story
Rudyard Kipling never visited Mawlamyaing. His famous opening line — "By the old Moulmein Pagoda, lookin' lazy at the sea" — was written from accounts and imagination. He later admitted as much. The poem made Kyaikthanlan famous anyway, and the view from the terrace does have a certain lazy-looking quality, the river widening toward the gulf, fishing boats anchored in the current below.

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