Lawkananda Pagoda

The Lawkananda pagoda was built by King Anawrahta during his reign in 1059. The pagoda has enshrined the Buddha’s tooth relic in Bagan. The pagoda is erected on the bank of the Ayeyarwaddy River.

During the ancient days. with the power of Bagan Dynasty. the Mon region. Rakhine and even as far as Sri Lanka would anchor by the Ayeyarwaddy riverside. Lawkananda would be the first to see with its distinctive elongated cylindrical dome. It is still used as an everyday place of worship and is thought to house an important Buddha-tooth replica. The riverside and sunset views from Lawkananda are unforgettable scenes.

The two Petleik pagodas the Ashe (Eastern) and Anauk (Western) – belong to the 11th century and have been assigned to the reign of Anawrahta (1044-1077). The Western pagoda is better preserved and has a bell-shaped dome. with rings of molding at the middle and towards the base. An unusual feature of the dome is the four deep niches at the cardinal points to house images of the Buddha. A damaged bowl-shaped disc rests on the dome in the Western Pagoda. while in the Eastern Pagoda a box-like relic chamber occupies the corresponding position. The finial. which rises above. is in the form of a truncated cone.