Mahazedi Paya

Myanmar (Burma)


The design of this 'Great Stupa', with its stairways leading high up the structure, is unusual for southern Myanmar and certainly one of Bago's more attractive religious buildings. Originally constructed in 1560 by King Bayinnaung, it was destroyed during the 1757 sacking of Bago. An 1860 attempt to rebuild it was unsuccessful and more damage was done by the great earthquake of 1930. This current reconstruction was completed in 1982.

The Mahazedi originally contained a Buddha tooth, at one time thought to be the most sacred of all Buddha relics – the tooth of Kandy, Sri Lanka. After Bago was conquered in 1539, the tooth was moved to Taungoo and then to Sagaing near Mandalay. Together with a begging bowl supposed to have been used by the Buddha, it remains in the Kaunghmudaw Paya, near Sagaing, to this day.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Myanmar (Burma) attractions

1. Shwegugale Paya

0.39 MILES

This zedi (stupa) has a dark gu (tunnel) around the circumference of the cylindrical superstructure. The monument dates from 1494 and the reign of King…

2. Shwethalyaung Buddha

0.58 MILES

Following the destruction of Bago in 1757, this huge reclining buddha was overgrown by jungle and not rediscovered until 1881, when a contractor unearthed…

3. Naung Daw Gyi Mya Tha Lyaung

0.64 MILES

This serene reclining buddha with chiselled facial features, sprawled out over 250ft, was built in 2002 with public donations. They're still raising money…

4. Four Figures Paya

0.72 MILES

If you can’t get enough of buddha statues, check out these four buddha figures standing back to back. An adjacent open hallway has a small reclining…

5. Maha Kalyani Sima

0.76 MILES

This ‘Sacred Hall of Ordination’ was originally constructed in 1476 by Dhammazedi, the famous alchemist king and son of Queen Shinsawpu. Like almost…

6. Hindu Temple

1.29 MILES

Surrounded by a moat and undergoing extensive restoration at the time of writing, this is Bago's principal Hindu temple.

7. Kya Kha Wain Kyaung

1.7 MILES

The sight of some 500 monks and novices filing out in the early morning from one of largest monasteries in Myanmar to collect alms is worth getting up…

8. Market

1.76 MILES

Bago's covered market is lively and best visited early in the day.