At the heart of this large 19th-century complex is a 900-tonne buddha, 26ft tall and dressed in royal attire. Carved from a single block of marble, it reputedly took 10,000 men 13 days to transport it from a canal to the present site before its dedication in 1865.
The outer halls are edged in mirror tiles. A little subshrine in the southeast courtyard displays a giant marble alms bowl and colourful renderings of King Mindon’s 1865 visit. The October temple festival is so big that stallholders start erecting evening food stalls along the eastern approach roads some two weeks before it starts.