Myanmar, located in Southeast Asia, is well-known as a country possessing lots of sacred Buddha temples, pagodas and stupas. Myanmar appears in tourists’ eyes with the scenery of brilliant gold-plated stupas glistening in the sun and diamond, ruby-encrusted statues.

Let’s learn about some of the featured temples in Myanmar that you should not miss when you travel to this charming country.

Shwedagon Pagoda

One of the most famous places for pilgrimage in Myanmar you should visit is Shwedagon Pagoda or Golden Pagoda. It is located in the East of Kandawgyi Lake of Yangon. Shwedagon impresses tourists by its height of 99 meters, lying on Singuttara hill. Shwedagon Pagoda is considered the most sacred Buddhist temple in Myanmar, possessing the relics of 4 previous Buddha. One of them is the hair relics of the Buddha.

The main stupa of the temple is a unique work of art. It is gilded, decorated with 5,448 diamonds and 2,317 rubies. A 76 karat diamond (15 grams) is mounted on the top of the stupa. You will be astonished by the architecture of this 2500-year-old pagoda. There are many Buddha towers with prayer halls, sculptures and temples around the main tower complex. You will have a chance to see colorful Buddha images, fine wood carvings and murals.

Another noticeable point of the pagoda is eight statues in eight directions representing for seven days of the week. Each of the statues has the form of different animals. Myanmar people will pray to the statue equivalent to their date of birth, burning candles, incense and pouring water to the statue for luck.

Visiting the pagoda, you will understand the meaning of the Buddha, the monument's work of art and architecture to Myanmar people. Besides, you can watch monks washing the statues, local people offering flowers and worshipping. These sceneries are extremely familiar in any pagoda in Myanmar.

Swe Taw Myat Pagoda

Also located in Yangon, Swe Taw Myat is symmetrically designed with statues, gold-plated objects. This is one of the most beautiful temples you should visit when traveling to Myanmar. Every year, when coming here to worship, local people often carry golden leaves to inlaid on Buddha statues and pray for blessings.

The temple was built to store and worship the tooth relic of Gautama Buddha who died 2,500 years ago. Unlike most temples and pagodas containing Buddha relics, the relics of the Buddha Tooth at Swe Taw Myat are solemnly displayed in public so that people can have a chance to admire. Normally, monuments in other temples are hidden deep in the temple or tower and cannot be viewed.

In the center of the great hall, the temple roof consists of many small roofs stacked on top of each other in the middle. There are many large yellow-painted pillars arranged to hold up the construction. It looks like an umbrella with a lot of decoration of intricate and sophisticated motifs. The ivory relic is stored in a small cylindrical glass case, placed on a circular multi-level circular pedestal in the middle of the hall.

Kyaiktiyo

Kyaiktiyo is located in Mon state, about 200 km northeast of Yangon. The small Kyaiktiyo temple has made a strong impression on tourists by lying on the edge of a large golden rock, firmly on the cliffs for thousands of years. It owns many valuable Buddha images and golden bells. Some Buddha statues in the temple are inlaid with thousands of gems and diamonds.

Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda - Golden Rock is one of the prides and the most sacred places of Myanmar. From the foot of the mountain, you can only see the rock protruding out, but when you reach the top of the mountain, the entire temple appears to be a superficial and large architectural complex with many items of pagodas and small towers.

To pay homage to the Buddha, many people coming to the temple have donated money to gilded giant stones. The temple is surrounded by a sacred space with the scent of candles, incense, chanting of devotees as well as the diverse colors of offerings. Every day, hundreds of Buddhists and tourists visit this sacred stone.

Ananda pagoda

Ananda Pagoda is regarded as the most beautiful and well-known temple in Bagan. It was built in 1105, the pagoda is regarded as an architectural masterpiece of pagodas at that time and still well-preserved the original until today. The massive, majestic combination with beautiful details and golden towers have helped Ananda become one of the remarkable temples in Myanmar.
Ananda Pagoda has a unique structure, impressing any tourist from the first time seeing. The most distinctive feature of the pagoda is the gold-plated “Sikhara” placed in the center. “Sikhara” in the ancient language of Myanmar means “the summit of the mountain”. In the highest top of the tower, gems, diamonds and rubies are placed like most of the temples in Myanmar. Four gold-plated Buddha statues about 10 meters high being put inside the pagoda facing out to four directions is also another impressive point of the pagoda. Ananda Temple has amazingly beautiful works of art and sculptures. The stone carvings, paintings on the walls, ceilings and roofs of this temple depict the life of the Buddha from birth, growth, enlightenment and nirvana. All of them have contributed to the unique shades of the temple.

Taung Kalat

Taung Kalat is one of the unique constructions for tourists when they travel to Myanmar. Setting on a high volcano, more than 730 meters above sea level, southwest of Mount Popa, the Buddhist monastery on the top of Taung Kalat is one of Myanmar's most impressive sacred sites. After climbing 777 steps, watching the monkeys along the way, you will reach the monastery and admire the breathtaking panoramic view of ancient Bagan citadel from above.

Coming to Taung Kalat Monastery, not only can you admire the poetic natural scenery, but you will also have a chance to learn about the legend associated with this extremely interesting monastery. Taung Kalat Monastery is the place to worship 37 Nat gods with a tragic story on the road to becoming a god. According to the beliefs of Myanmar Buddhists, Nat is one of the protectors of man and the soul of the mountains. And they also played an extremely important role in the existence of the country of temples until now.

You will be astonished by the structure of the temple and wonder how it was built. The monastery is built entirely of stone and tiled like most other monasteries in Myanmar. At the top of the hill, there is a complex of beautiful buildings with 5 gilded temples built, the and intricate carvings inside.

Mahamuni Pagoda

Located in the southwest of Mandalay city, more than 700 km from Yangon, Mahamuni is a famous Buddhist relic and an important pilgrimage center of Myanmar Buddhists.

This destination features a 3.8 m high Buddha statue, weighs 6.5 tons made of gold and decorated with precious stones. Buddhists and visitors coming here will inlay the statue with layers of gold and leaves overlapping each other.

Shwezigon Pagoda

Shwezigon Pagoda is one of the oldest and most impressive monuments of Bagan. The pagoda was built for the storage of Budda’s tooth relics and images.

Visiting the pagoda, you will be amazed by its architecture and structure. The main temple is in the middle, four sides of the temple are four rows of stairs leading to the main tower. At four corners of the temple, there are four golden statues of the lion, looking like the guards of the temple. The whole of the main bell-shaped stupa in the center is inlaid with gold and placed on a square base. The top of the temple has the umbrella-like structure that you can see in most of the pagodas, temples in Myanmar. Due to the gold plated and the structure, the pagoda is extremely outstanding and glistening in the sunshine or at night when dozens of lamps and candles are lit. Let’s come and discover this dazzling temple in your way!

Besides these above pagodas, you can find pagoda, temples and monasteries in any place you have set foot on.