Myathabate Pagoda

Myathabate Pagoda is an old hilltop pagoda worth visiting mainly for the stupendous views its location affords right across the surrounding area.

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Worth the slog to the top -- the view over Thaton. Photo taken in or around Myathabate Pagoda, Thaton, Burma_myanmar by Mark Ord.

Worth the slog to the top -- the view over Thaton. Photo: Mark Ord

According to local lore (or an English sign at the foot of the steps, anyway), Myathabate dates from more than 2,000 years ago and contains two hairs from the Buddha’s head, though frankly up close it looks like any other large, gold-painted stupa. To the west, the vista stretches across town and, on a clear day, as far as the Gulf of Martaban. To the east, they go beyond a picturesque lake and rubber plantations to the limestone outcrops towards Hpa-an.

Somewhere in there are a couple of Buddha's hairs. Photo taken in or around Myathabate Pagoda, Thaton, Burma_myanmar by Mark Ord.

Somewhere in there are a couple of Buddha's hairs. Photo: Mark Ord

As with most hilltop temples, there’s an easy and a hard way to get to the summit. In this case, the hard way is tough: 999 steps tough. Well, the sign says 999 and to be honest we didn’t count them since we confess to having taken the easy way up. This is a sealed road in good condition that goes for several kilometres and is sufficiently winding to avoid any really steep sections.

The entrance to the road is through a gate just short of the First Mountain Cafe. It winds gently up the wooded hill before undulating along a ridge from shrine to shrine. For the very brave and very fit, the foot of the steps is just past the same cafe and to the left of the Mon-style chedi. Climbing the stairs may well be a heathy, and virtuous, option but if you take them you will actually miss the lesser shrines, chedis and viewpoints dotted along the road. So if you don’t have transport and any friendly pilgrims in the car park do offer you a lift, we say go for it.

One of the old houses you'll see on the way up. Photo taken in or around Myathabate Pagoda, Thaton, Burma_myanmar by Mark Ord.

One of the old houses you'll see on the way up. Photo: Mark Ord

If you’ve any energy left, or have ridden up, then there are walking trails through the forest atop the mountain. As something of an oasis amid the endless rubber trees in the area, it looks promising for bird life. Aside the golden chedi and lesser shrines on adjacent peaks, there’s nothing much else up here, so make sure you bring plenty of ... Travelfish members only (Around 400 more words) ... please log in to read the rest of this story.