Walkways to the Pagoda

Four covered walkways lead up to the pagoda from the plains surrounding the hills. The east walkway is the most interesting, crowded as it is with vendors selling items for pilgrims (candles, flowers, gold leaf, stones and other paraphernalia of Burmese Buddhist worship) and souvenirs for tourists (Buddhas, lacquer ware and thanaka). The other walkways are less interesting but the west walkway has escalators and the southern has an elevator. Walking up the Eastern walkway to the top and allowing the beauty of the pagoda it to emerge remains the best way to get up the hill. The entrances are striking: there is a pair of mythical and stylized stone lions guarding the doorway framing the grand staircase as if this scene is coming out from a biblical film set. To view clearly these mythical lions, one simply has to examine the Myanmar currency notes where it is featured practically in all denominations. The Great Stupa is visible at dark, multicoloured neon lightings highlight its profile Another attraction of this temple in general and the walkways in particular are the 3D murals of the Jataka tales in Myanmarese interpretation showing distinctive Myanmar landscape, temple and toddy palm dotted countryside, country life, architecture, palace and court scenery and pageantry, temple scenes, period costumes, mythological nagas and nats, elephants, lions and dragons. These 3D murals flank the upper part of the walls of all the four entrances.

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