Thanlyin and Kyauktan
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Thanlyin is situated at the confluence of the
Yangon and Bago Rivers; to be exact, on the southern
bank of the Bago River. To the south of Thanlyin is
a ridge named Utaringa Kon in history but locally
known as Shin Mwe Nun Kon. It is on this ridge that
Kyaik Khauk Pagoda stands.
The colonial town of Syriam was built by the
British for it's port and petroleum refinery plant.
It is also a sub-urban town right a few miles away
from Yangon, across 1.5 mile-long bridge
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Interesting Places
Kyaik Kauk Pagoda
The Kyaik Kauk Pagoda is built on a hillock on
the road to Kyauk Tan. It is an imposing golden
stupa similar to the Shwe Dagon pagoda.
Thanlyin formerly known as Syriam is just across
the river, spanned by one of the longest bridges in
Myanmar. A half-an-hour's drive by car or train.
History of Kyaik Kauk
Pagoda Its legend dates its building far back to
the time of Emperor Asoka the great king of India.
Two hundred an d thirty six years after the demise of
the Lord Buddha, Emperor Asoka who embraced Buddhism
after he heard and understood the Buddha’s dhamma,
held the Third Buddhist Council. Maha Thera Ashim
Moggalana Putta Tisa presided over the Council. At
his advice, the Council with the royal patronage and
support of Asoka sent out religious missions to nine
places and nine countries to spread the Dhamma,
Buddha’s Teachings. The mission sent to Suvannabhumi
[Thaton] was headed by Maha Theras Sona and Uttara
who successfully carried out their missionary works
there. One of their pupils and assistants Ashin
Somaga was sent on a mission to Pauk-khara-wady or
Dagon. He resided at this place and visited Let-kha-ya
and Siha islands and propagated the Buddha’s
teachings there. A hermit named Khaw Laka who lived
on Utaringa Kon, after hearing the Dhamma became a
bhikkhu. Later Ashin Somaga and Bhikkhu Kaw Laka
went to Pataliputra in India and requested Emperor
Asoka to give them some sacred relics of the Buddha
for worship. They received 24 strands of the
Buddha’s hair. They returned to Siha Island and when
they reached the Pada jetty, they left two sacred
hairs to be enshrined in a pagoda built there. Later
these hairs were re-enshrined in a pagoda now know
as Kyaik DeiYa.
The remaing hair relies were
enshrined each in one pagoda at each of 16 Villages
such as
(1) Ta Hmaw Village
(2) Ka Lun Pun Village
(3) Ka Hnein Village
(4) Ka Hnaw Village
(5) Mon Naw
Village
(6) Tha Laing Village
(7) Hmaw Wun Village
(8) Kan Ti Village
(9) Kha Pi Village
(10) Tha Naw
Kaik Village
(11) Ah Lwei Eake Village
(12) Pa Wun
Gai Village
(13) Pa Yin Village
(14) Wi Thone
Village
(15) Pa Ro Village
(16) Than Hlyin Village
[Saga Village]
and the remaing six hairs were
enshrined in a pagoda built on Utaringa Kon [now
called Hlaing Pok Kon].
The pagoda on Utaringa Kon was built by King Cula
Thirimasoka of Thaton in the Buddhist Era 241. It
was a big structure built of laterite stone. Because
this place was where Ashin Bhikkhu Kaw Laka resided,
the Pagoda came to be known as Kaw Laka Pagoda. This
name in course of time corrupted to Khauk Pagoda or
Kyaik Khauk in Mon.
Ye Le Paya
 Ye Le Paya at Kyauk Tan means the pagoda in
mid-stream built on a laterite reef. It was built by
King Zeyasana, the seventh king of the Pada Dynasty
in the third century BC. The first pagoda was only
11 feet high. The pagoda complex comprises several
buildings including a monastery. Pilgrims and
visitors are ferried across to the pagoda. One can
feed shoals of long river catfish, which surface to
snatch tit-bits of food thrown at them. When food is
thrown, they reach out to snap at it, revealing
their size, which can reach up to one meter in
length.
National Races Village
The National Races Village is an interesting
place for both local and foreign visitors.
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