Bago

Bago is located 91 kilometers northeast of Yangon and is the capital city of Bago region in Myanmar. Bago is renowned for a 55-meter-long reclining Buddha image, the beautiful golden Shwemawdaw Pagoda and many more religious monuments, such as the old ordination hall built by King Dhammazedi. It has lively market and just 10 minutes out of town one can see authentic scenes of rural life, such as yoked water buffaloes plowing paddy fields. Bago can be reached easily by road; the 80-kilometer journey from Yangon takes about two hours. Situated on the road to Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda (Golden Rock) and Mawlamyine, Bago remains a quiet and easy-going town with a lot more bicycles and motorbikes than cars.

Bago is famous for its pagodas and there are many famous pagodas in Bago. Shwe Thal Yaung Buddha, Shwe Maw Daw Pagoda, Kyaikpun Buddha, Mahazedi Pagoda, Shwe Gu Gyi Pagoda, and ShweGuGalae Pagoda. Kanbawzathadi Golden Palace in Bago is a reconstruction of the original Royal Palace from the second half of the 16th century. The very ornate golden palace gives a good impression of the splendor and wealth of the second Burmese empire. In Bago, cultivation was almost wholly confined to rice, but there were many vegetable and fruit gardens.