Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda Overview
The Chaukhatgyi Pagoda in Yangon is noted for a colossal reclining Buddha image stretching 70 meters long.
The reclining Buddha image, wearing a golden robe with white face, red lips, blue eye shadow, and red fingernails, is referred to as the 'Sweet-Eyed Buddha'. Its staggering feet are decorated with 108 sacred Buddhist symbols.
The reclining Buddha image has graced the Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda for more than one century since it was completed in 1907. It was restored by a devout Buddhist in 1966 when another 5 meters were added to the image. The renovation was paid for entirely with donations from Buddhists and foreign tourists. The names of the contributors are inscribed on the beams of the building. There are 8 shrines representing each day of the week (Wednesday is split into 2) surrounding the statue. Visitors come to give offering to the main Buddha and then payer to the shrine belonging to the day of their birth.
The Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda is surrounded by several monasteries. There are hundreds of monks studying the teaching of Buddha in the AshayTawya Monastery. The entrance fee goes towards the maintenance work of the temple as well as the education of local monks at the AshayTawya Monastery.
Tips: It opens daily from 6 am until 8 pm.