Destination

Thanlyin

Thanlyin (Syriam)

It is situated on the other side of Yangon River, day trip to Thanlyin. It was home to trading posts set up by Portuguese, Dutch, French and British merchants. Its greatest moment was in the early 17th century when the Portuguese adventurer Philip de Brito established his own private Kingdom. The town flourished until it was destroyed by King Alaungpaya in 1756. When the British annexed Lower Myanmar about 100 years later it was Yangon rather than Thanlyin that became the main trading post. Colonial buildings are evident in downtown Thanlyin. A few miles south of the town on a hill stand the Kyeik Khauk Pagoda, like the Shwedagon Pagoda. The Kyeik Khauk matches its famous cousins in architecture and atmosphere.
Thanlyin is situated at the confluence of the Yangon and Bago Rivers; to be exact, on the southern bank of the Bago River. To the south of Thanlyin is a ridge named Utaringa Kon in history but locally known as Shin Mwe Nun Kon. It is on this ridge that Kyaik Khauk Pagoda stands.
The colonial town of Syriam was built by the British for it's port and petroleum refinery plant. It is also a sub-urban town right a few miles away from Yangon, across 1.5 mile-long bridge

Interesting Places

Kyauktan Ye Le Pagoda (Island Pagoda)

It lies about 20 km south of Thanlyin on a tributary of the Yangon River, can be found the unusual Kyauktan Pagoda. The journey by jeep or bus takes about 45 minutes from Thanlyin. The Pagoda is indeed on an island in the middle of the river. It was built by king Zeyasana , the seventh king of the pada Dynasty in the third century BC. The first Pagoda was only 11 feet high.

Kyaik Kauk Pagoda

The Kyaik Kauk Pagoda is built on a hillock on the road to Kyauk Tan. It is an imposing golden stupa similar to the Shwe Dagon pagoda.
Thanlyin formerly known as Syriam is just across the river, spanned by one of the longest bridges in Myanmar. A half-an-hour's drive by car or train.