Enter the Holy Land, Bago, Burma

Bago is a city and the capital of Bago Division in Burma, which was formerly Pegu.  It is located 50 Miles (80 km) from Yangon and is populated with 220,000 people.

Bago has many major attractions in terms of Buddhist statues and temples. 
Shwe Tha Lyaung Pagoda, the Golden Reclining Image, is a must-see.  It is an enourmous reclining Buddha, 180 feet in length and 52.5 feet in height; one of the largest reclining Buddha images in the world.  It is so impressive that a camera must be brought, but be prepared to pay a photography/video fee.

Shwe Maw Daw Pagoda is another amazing site to see in Bago. The Shwe Maw Daw Pagoda is know for its architectural beauty as it has an octagonal base with elaborate multi-plane projections in the lower portion. This lower portion is very old and has an aged beauty to it.

Three major earthquakes in 1919, 1917, and 1930 hit this temple as Bago is in an earthquake-prone zone.  Due to the quakes, the top of the pagoda collapsed each time.  As a visitor you can view the Pagoda Museum, which has a number of ancient Buddha images of stone and bronze found in the damaged top part of the pagoda after the earthquakes.

Photography Copyright: Jennifer Campos