Pyay: Pagodas, Tooth Relic and Pyu Culture

Pyay offers several distinct points of interest for a culturally focused trip: an ancient Pyu city nearby, pagodas in the city, and a religious tradition associated with Shwesandaw Pagoda. If you are looking for a hotel in Pyay, these themes can help you decide which cultural sites and features to include in your stay. These points of interest differ according to whether they are in Pyay itself or nearby, and whether architecture, history or a religious tradition is the main focus.

Cultural Sites in Pyay and Nearby

Near Pyay lies Sri Ksetra, also known as Thayekhittara, an ancient Pyu city in the Bago Region. It is located about five miles southeast of Pyay and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This makes Sri Ksetra a different cultural point of interest from the pagodas in Pyay itself: here, the focus is an ancient Pyu city, while the other structures described are within Pyay. Its World Heritage recognition and classification as a Pyu city give Sri Ksetra a distinct historical character.

Another nearby place is Shwe Daung, about 14 km south of Pyay. It is home to Shwe Myatman Stupa, which features a seated Buddha image wearing gold-rimmed glasses. This feature gives the place a different focus from Sri Ksetra: rather than an ancient city, the focus here is a particular Buddha image. If you distinguish cultural sites by their specific features, you can thus separate the Pyu city from the stupa with its distinctive image.

Pagodas and Their Architectural Features

Shwesandaw Pagoda in Pyay has five terraces. A cylindrical stupa stands on it, topped by a jeweled umbrella known as an Hti. Several distinct features can therefore be identified at this pagoda: the number of terraces, the shape of the stupa and the Hti as an umbrella. This breakdown gives you a concrete way to understand the architecture without confusing its different parts. The terraces and cylindrical stupa describe different elements of the structure; the jeweled Hti belongs to the stupa’s uppermost section.

East of Shwesandaw Pagoda lies Hse-htat-gyi Paya. The name Shetatgyi means “ten stories” and refers to the great height of the seated Buddha figure there. The name therefore points to the figure and its height. In contrast to Shwesandaw Pagoda, whose five terraces are part of the structure, at Shetatgyi the focus is on the seated Buddha figure and the meaning of its name. This distinction helps place two different architectural points of interest in Pyay in context.

The Tooth Relic and Its Recurring Dates

The tooth relic is also associated with Shwesandaw Pagoda. Each year, during the month of Dazaungmone in the Myanmar calendar, which falls in November and December, the relic is taken from its chamber in the pagoda. It is also carried in a ceremonial procession through Pyay every three years. The annual removal and the procession’s three-year cycle are two different timeframes relating to the same relic. Dazaungmone places the annual tradition within the Myanmar calendar; November and December also give you a familiar point of reference for the timing. If you would like to plan your trip around a particular occasion, check the dates for your preferred travel period.

When choosing Pyay as a travel destination, it is also useful to distinguish between sites in the city and those nearby. Shwesandaw Pagoda and Hse-htat-gyi Paya are in Pyay itself; Sri Ksetra and Shwe Daung are nearby, in different directions and at different distances. This lets you consider whether your main interest is in the pagodas in Pyay, the ancient Pyu city or the Buddha image in Shwe Daung. These cultural points of interest provide a concrete basis for considering Pyay as a destination for your stay.

Discover more destinations: Shwedaung, Bago, Pyinbongyi

Go to the main travel overview: Bago Region.