Bago

After Bagan, this is surely my personal favourite tentative listing in Myanmar. Many temples and sites to visit but not the best of accomodation around. The Taungyi Cemetery on the way to Bago is a moving experience you shouldn't miss even if for a quick peek.

Bago is a city in S Myanmar a few miles east of Yangon. Historically it was the capital of the Mon peoples. Across the centuries, shifts of power in the area meant that the Mon were subjugated to other kingdoms. Its golden period occurred around 1369 – c1569 when, under the name “Hanthawaddy”, it was the capital of the independent Mon Kingdom of that name. As well as its political importance, it possessed significant religious significance from the legend that Buddha traveled around SE Asia 8 years after his enlightenment and saw a pair of “Hamsa” birds on a small piece of land where Bago now is. He predicted that the location would become the centre of a kingdom which followed his precepts. Because of this the city “acquired” various Buddha relics and became a major pilgrimage site with several significant sacred structures built through the 15th/16th centuries. Although silting had cut it off from the sea by the late 16th C it remained a significant city through later periods of subjugation interspersed with short periods of Mon resurgence when it resumed its status as a “Capital”. The Capital of Burma was at Amarapura when Bago was annexed by the British in 1852 but they decided to develop Yangon as their capital and Bago took on its current role as a religious centre and regional town.

We spent an afternoon and evening there in Nov 2012 and concentrated on its religious monuments. There is a $10 entrance …