Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda

Why Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda is special ?

The Kyauk Taw Gyi pagoda on top of Mindhama Hill near Yangon airport is known for its enormous Buddha image made out of a single piece of white marble.

At the bottom of the stairs to the temple’s entrance are the ferocious looking heads of giant Naga, a serpent from Buddhist and Hindu mythology. The snakes bodies extend on the balustrades. At the stop of the stairway is a pair of giant white and gold Chinthe, lions often seen guarding Burmese temples.

A long corridor with multi tiered Pyatthat roofs leads to the hall enshrining the marble Buddha image. Along the way devotees can buy flowers to pay homage.

Source: https://www.renown-travel.com/

What to explore at Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda?

The Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda is also referred to the as the Great Marble Image. The structure houses a statue of Lord Buddha which has been carved out of a single block of pale green marble. The stone block from which the statue has been carved out was extracted from a quarry located twelve miles on the north of Mandalay called Sagyin. The story of transporting the rock however has several versions. Some people say that it took around 10,000 to 12,000 men to shift the stone to the site of the temple over a period of thirteen days while others are of the belief that a canal was dug to float the stone to the site. As the waiter level was insufficient to transport the rock, 10000 laborers were asked to raise the level of water.

Source: http://minglabar.net/

How to get to Kyauk Taw Gyi Pagoda?

The pagoda is located at the intersection of Min Dhama road with Pyay road on top of Mindhama Hill near Yangon airport, about 15 kilometers North West of the downtown area.

The easiest way to get there from downtown is by taxi at a fare of about 5,000 Kyat. Alternatively, take the Yangon Circular railway to Insein railway station. The pagoda is found about 1 ½ kilometer East of the station, which will take about 15 minutes on foot.

Source: https://www.renown-travel.com/