Shwe Ku Pagoda

Myanmar (Burma)


The Shwe Ku pagoda is famed for its Tangetawgyi buddha image and the stunningly intricate wood-carved backdrop full of filigree and depictions of spirits and animals. The rest of the complex is a clashing melange of spires, colours and general tackiness. Groups of locals come here in the evening to pray and there are normally plenty of monks in residence.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Myanmar (Burma) attractions

1. Thiho Shin Pagoda

1.18 MILES

Pakokku's mains Buddhist temple couldn't be any different to the often staid and zestless temple ruins of Bagan. Built by King Alaungsithu some 800 years…

3. Thanakha Gallery

15.22 MILES

Claiming that it’s the ‘Only One Thanakha Gallery in the World’, this sizeable complex has a small gallery devoted to the myriad medicinal and cosmetic…

4. Shwezigon Paya

15.44 MILES

At the western end of Nyaung U, this big, beautiful zedi (stupa) is the town’s main religious site, and is most famous for its link with Myanmar's main…

5. Kyanzittha Umin

15.65 MILES

Although officially credited to Kyanzittha, this cave temple may actually date back to Anawrahta. Built into a cliff face 270yd southwest of Shwezigon,…

6. Wetkyi-In-Gubyaukgyi

15.91 MILES

Just west of Nyaung U and about 330ft east of Gubyauknge, this detailed off-the-main-circuit, 13th-century temple has an Indian-style spire, like the…

7. Pakhangyi

15.96 MILES

About 17 miles northeast of Pakokku, on the way to Monywa, are the remains of Pakhangyi, a 19th-century wooden monastery. There isn't a lot to see here,…

8. Gubyauknge

16 MILES

Off Anawrahta Rd, almost a mile east of Htilominlo, this temple from the early Bagan period has some excellent stucco carvings on the outside walls …

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "myanmar-burma/pakokku/attractions/shwe-ku-pagoda/a/poi-sig/1630801/1335705",
      "destination": "Myanmar-(Burma)",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "Myanmar-(Burma)",
      "position": "superzone"
    }