Elevator to be installed at well-known pilgrimage site in Kyauktaw Twsp

By Admin 16 Mar 2023

DMG Newsroom
16 March 2023, Kyauktaw

An elevator will be installed this year at Mt. Thaylar Giri Mawra Patta, a well-known pilgrimage site in Arakan State’s Kyauktaw Township, so that the elderly and disabled can more easily access the site, according to the pagoda board of trustees.

“This mountain is about 400 feet high, so some elderly people are unable to climb the mountain and have to turn back. That is why it is necessary to plan to install an elevator, so that the elderly can make pilgrimages comfortably,” U Khaing Mrat Kyaw, secretary of the pagoda board of trustees, told DMG.

The lift will be installed with donations from local monks, businessmen and town elders, though the exact cost of the project is unknown.

The pagoda board of trustees said that efforts have been made to install the elevator for the past few years, but due to the local political situation and the Covid-19 pandemic, plans have been delayed.

“The budget to be spent on installing an elevator will be discussed and approved at the next meeting. To build an elevator at Mt. Kyauktaw, we will model it on the elevator at Oo Yit Taw Pagoda in Ponnagyun,” he explained.

Locals said that during this year’s tourism high season, hundreds of pilgrims from all corners of the country make their way to Mt. Kyauktaw every day. It takes about 30 minutes to walk up Mt. Kyauktaw and it is steep near the top, so some elderly people turn back halfway, according to local residents.

“If an elevator is installed, it will be convenient for elderly pilgrims to attend Mt. Kyauktaw. Some elderly people can’t even climb the mountain. Those who are weak may not be able to climb the slightly steep parts of Mt. Kyauktaw. Therefore, if an elevator is installed, pilgrims will be able to go on pilgrimages conveniently,” said U Tun Thar, a resident of Kyauktaw.

In the 123rd year of Mahashakrak, the Buddha stood on Mt. Mawra Patta when he visited the Danyawadi Kingdom, according to Arakanese chronicles.

Oo Yit Taw Pagoda in Ponnagyun, Arakan State, has been equipped with an elevator since 2016, and it is reportedly 147 feet high.