It is a given that Sagaing has a lot of pagodas, but probably one of the more significant pagodas here is the Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda. This long-named pagoda sits on top of the Sagaing Hill overlooking the Ayeyarwaddy River. This is the pagoda at the end of the road where the bus dropped us off. It was unexpectedly buzzing with activity with a lot of worshippers going there.
Noticably missing were the hawkers and touts which would be normally hounding tourists like me no end. I guess this is as authentic as it can get. There were hardly and English signs, so it would mean that tourists hardly get this far. For my entire visit of the Soon U Ponya Shin Pagoda, I was the only foreigner in the entire temple. Not bad. This very lack of tourists is also a good thing since you can see the locals up close.
As usual, footwear is not allowed inside the temple, it was okay, since it was indoors. The interiors of the pagoda were decorated with glass tiles making the entire temple shimmer. The locals sit at the foot of the statue of Buddha contemplating. It can also be noted how important this pagoda is, with photos of the visit of head of the ruling government decorating the walls of the temple.
What is a pagoda without a golden stupa. As expected, this pagoda also has its own, though it is not as massive as the Shwedagon or the Shwezigon, its golden color makes it shine in the morning sun. From here you can get a good view of the rest of Sagaing. On the other side, you can see the rest of the temples on Sagaing hill. There are paths from one temple to another and it would probably take a day or two to full explore each one of them. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to visit them since I needed to visit the other ancient towns.
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