Kyaikkami Yele Pagoda - Mon State

Located 9 kms northeast of Thanbyuzayat, Kyaikkami was a small coastal resort and missionary center known as Amherst during the British era. The main focus of Kyaikkami is Yele Paya, a metal-roofed Buddhist shrine complex perched over the sea and reached via a long two-level causeway; the tower level is submerged during high tide. Along with 11 Buddha hair relics, the shrine chamber beneath Yele Paya reportedly contains a Buddha image that supposedly floated here on a raft from Sri Lanka in ancient times.

Some legend say that Buddha in Maha Sakarit 111 around 581 BC came on sojourn to Thuwunna Bhumi and got to Kyin Maing (Kyaikkhami), the land of Yawnaka. Buddha rested on the rock that would site the pagoda and gave the 20 sons of the king of Kyin Maing and mentor Kappina the hermit hair relics before he went to Thuwunna Bhumi. In Maha Sakarit 117 that was 575 BC, Hermit Kappina and ten of the princes built a pagoda enshrining the relics they got at the sacred rock cave. It has since been known as Eka Dasa. In Sakarit 237 that was 307 BC, after Parinibbana, Shin Mahainda. Arahanta Upatittha and King Devanampiyatittha sent afloat four sandalwood Buddha statues enshrining the Buddha's relics entrusted to them, making an oath to have them get to a place where there were repositories of Buddha relics. One of them came to Eka Dasa Pagoda in Kyaikkhami. Eka Dasa Pagoda is now one with five wonders midstream.

The Buddha Images inside face the sea towards the south.  A notable fact is that although the shrine is located at some distance from the shore, its basement is not engulfed even during the highest tide. Women are only allowed to worship from a pavilion removed from the shrine while men may do so from the hall facing the main image.

Other attractions here are the colonial administrative buildings that are nearly 100 years old.