Yangon is the business
capital and the gateway to Myanmar by air and sea, adorned
with idyllic lakes, shady parks and green tropical
vegetation. Yangon was founded as Dagon in the early 11th
century by the Mon, who dominated Lower Myanmar at that
time. Dagon was a small fishing village centered around the Shwedagon Pagoda. In 1755, King Alaungpaya conquered Dagon,
renamed it Yangon which means end of strife, and added settlements
around Dagon. The British captured Yangon during the First
Anglo-Myanmar War (1824–26) but returned it to the Burmese
administration after the war. The city was destroyed by a
fire in 1841.Yangon has a tropical monsoon climate. Until
the mid 1990s, Yangon remained largely constrained to its
traditional peninsula setting between the Bago, Yangon and
Hlaing rivers. Present Yangon area is 598.75 square
kilometers. Yangon stands as a capital of Myanmar until
2006. Yangon has the largest number of colonial buildings in
Southeast Asia today.
The Shwedagon Pagoda
It is 99 metres (325 ft) high. The pagoda lies to the
west of Kandawgyi Lake, on Singuttara Hill, thus dominating
the skyline of the city. It is famous for its wonderful
architectural design and it was built about 2600 years ago.
It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for Myanmar people
with relics of the past with four Buddhas enshrined within,
namely the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of
Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight hairs
of Gautama the historical Buddha. A visit to Myanmar is
incomplete without a visit to Shwedagon which is not only a
historical site but also a renowned religious place of
worship for the Buddhists.
Chaukhtatkyi Pagoda
It was built by Sir Po Tha in1908. It was totally destroyed
during the Second World War and was rebuilt in 1957 as a
reclining Buddha image and completed in 1966. The present
statue measures 72 metres in length and 30 metres in height.
Botataung Pagoda
According to tradition it was built over 2500 years ago. It
was known as Kyaik-de-att in Mon language. Botataung
literally means "1000 military officers". It is one of the
famous pagodas and located in downtown Yangon near the
Yangon river. It is a hollow type stupa and enshrined a sacred
hair of Gautama Buddha is enshrined within. It was completely destroyed during
World War II in 1943, and was rebuilt after the war. The new
pagoda is of original design and measures in height 131 ft and 8
inches ( 42 metres), on a base of 96 ft x 96 ft (32 metres x
32 metres). The main attraction is the stupa's hollow
inside, which is lined with a mirrored maze-like walkway lined.
National Museum
It is the main museum of art, history and culture
in Myanmar. Founded in 1952, the five-story museum
has an extensive collection of ancient artifacts, ornaments,
works of art, inscriptions and historic memorabilia, related
to history, culture and civilization of Burmese people. One
of which being the golden throne of King Thibaw , the last
king of Konbaung Dynasty, dating back to the 19th century.
It is open from 10:00 to 16:00.
Bogyoke Aung San Market
It
was built in 1926, late in the British rule of Myanmar, and
was named after James George Scott, the British civil
servant who introduced football to Myanmar. After 1948, it
was renamed Bogyoke (General) Aung San Market. A new wing
of the market was added across Bogyoke Market Road in the
1990s. It is the main shopping complex of the city where one
can find almost everything, including jewellery, paintings
and sculptures. The market opens from 9:00 to 17:00 daily
except on Mondays and gazetted holidays.
Sule Pagoda
It was built around 2000 years ago. It incorporated the
original Indian structure of the stupa, which initially was
used to replicate the form and function of a relic mound. It
is believed to enshrine a hair of the Buddha. The dome
structure, topped with a golden spire, extends into the
skyline, marking the cityscape. This pagoda is situated
right in the heart of Yangon city near the city hall. One
distinctive feature of the pagoda is its octagonal shape.
The ancient Mon name is Kyaik Athoke. It measures 48ms in
height.
