Meilamu Paya

Top choice in Yangon

LoginSave

Situated next to the Nga Moe Yeik creek, this Disneyland-ish pagoda is a hoot. Larger-than-life 3D stucco depictions of the Buddha's life and practice litter the compound. A giant crocodile houses a gallery displaying the legend of Mei La Mu, the girl born from a mangrove fruit, after whom the temple is named.

There are teahouses in the complex overlooking the creek and you can take a boat across the water to a monastery complex.

The temple is a short walk from Tadakalay Station on the Yangon Circle Line.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • The reflection of Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar

    Shwedagon Paya

    5.89 MILES

    One of Buddhism's most sacred sites, the 326ft zedi (stupa) here is adorned with 27 metric tons of gold leaf, along with thousands of diamonds and other…

  • The statue of Statue of King Anawratha and the exterior of National Museum of Myanmar.

    National Museum (Yangon)

    6.6 MILES

    Even though the museum's collection is poorly labelled and often badly lit, the treasures that lie within this cavernous building deserve a viewing. The…

  • Chaukhtatgyi Paya, reclining Buddha in Yangon, Myanmar.

    Chaukhtatgyi Paya

    4.99 MILES

    Housed in a large metal-roofed shed, this beautiful 215ft-long reclining buddha is larger than a similar and better-known image in Bago. The statue's…

  • Secretariat

    Secretariat

    7.48 MILES

    After many years of being off limits, this spectacular red-brick complex, which takes up a 16-acre block and was once the British seat of government for…

  • The Budda sculpture in Ngahtatgyi Paya, Yangon, Myanmar.

    Ngahtatgyi Paya

    5.1 MILES

    One of Yangon's, if not Myanmar's, most gorgeous buddha images is this 46ft-tall one at the Ngahtatgyi Paya, sitting in calm gold-and-white repose and…

  • Myanmar, Burma, Yangon, Rangoon, Kandawgyi Lake, Shwedagon Pagoda

    Kandawgyi Lake

    6.13 MILES

    Also known as Royal Lake, this artificial lake built by the British as a reservoir is most attractive at sunset, when the glittering Shwedagon Paya is…

  • Sule pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar.

    Sule Paya

    7.52 MILES

    Not many cities have a primary traffic circle occupied by a 2200-year-old golden temple. This 46m zedi (stupa), said to be older than Shwedagon Paya, is…

  • Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue in Yangon.

    Musmeah Yeshua Synagogue

    7.53 MILES

    All the traditional features of a synagogue are present in this superbly maintained 1896 building: the bimah (platform holding the reading table for the…

View more attractions

Nearby Yangon attractions

1. Mahapasana

1.7 MILES

Totally artificial, this ‘great cave’ is where the Sixth Buddhist Synod was held in 1954–56 to coincide with the 2500th anniversary of the Buddha’s…

2. Kaba Aye Paya

1.85 MILES

This overly glitzy ‘world peace’ zedi (stupa), about 5 miles north of the city centre, was built for the 1954–56 Sixth Buddhist Synod which coincided with…

3. Myanmar Gems Museum & Gems Market

1.97 MILES

This small and, given its subject matter, surprisingly lacklustre museum offers a handful of eye-catching pieces of bling and precious stones, including a…

4. Kyauk Daw Kyi

2.22 MILES

Not far from the airport, this immense seated buddha was carved from a single piece of marble found outside Mandalay in 1999. The partially finished…

5. AAPP Museum

2.56 MILES

More of a one-room exhibition, this compact museum attached to the offices of the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma) focuses on the…

6. Inya Lake

3.47 MILES

Inya Lake, created by the British as a reservoir in 1883, is Yangon's largest artificial body of water. The best spots from which to view the lake are the…

7. Aung San Suu Kyi's House

4.05 MILES

When she's not in Nay Pyi Taw, Aung San Suu Kyi lives in this lakeside house, the former home of her mother and where she spent 15 years under house…

8. State Fine Arts School

4.29 MILES

Built in the early 20th century as the grand home of shipping-and-rubber magnate Lim Chin Tsong, this is another decaying but highly evocative slice of…