Bodhi Tataung

Bodhi Tataung means a thousand bodhi trees, and the original idea was a thousand Buddha images each seated under its own tree, which is still there on the lower slope in long ranked rows. What dominates now is the Laykyun Sekkya standing Buddha, completed in 2008 and around a hundred and sixteen metres tall on a base of another thirteen, one of the tallest statues in the world. It is hollow, with a stair inside running up through painted levels, and a long reclining Buddha lies on the hillside just below it.

What you actually see

• The standing Buddha - around a hundred and sixteen metres of hollow statue on a high base.
• The interior stair - levels inside the figure painted with scenes, climbable partway up.
• The reclining Buddha - a long image on the slope below the standing one.
• The thousand seated Buddhas - ranked rows of images under planted bodhi trees on the lower hill.

When to go

November to February is the cool season. Early morning avoids the heat on the open hillside, which is severe by mid-morning from March. The interior of the statue is stifling in hot weather.

Honest expectations

The interior climb is hot, narrow and not for anyone uneasy in enclosed spaces. The paintings inside are recent and crude. This is a modern devotional site rather than a historic one, which is worth knowing before making the drive.

Nearby

Thanboddhay Pagoda is on the road back, and Monywa is twenty kilometres west.