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Thanlyin
is situated at the confluence of the
Yangon and Pegu Rivers; to be exact,
on the southern bank of the Pegu
River. To the south of Thanlyin is a
ridge named Utaringa Kon in history
but locally known as Shin Mwe Nun
Kon. It is on this ridge that Kyaik
Khauk Pagoda stands.
The colonial town of Syriam was
built by the British for it's port
and petroleum refinery plant. It is
also a sub-urban town right a few
miles away from Yangon, across 1.5
mile-long bridge.
Kyaik Kauk Pagoda
 Its legend dates its building far
back to the time of Emperor Asoka
the great king of India. Two hundred
and thirty six years after the
demise of the Lord Buddha, Emperor
Asoka who embraced Buddhism after he
heard and understood the Buddha’s
dhamma, held the Third Buddhist
Council. Maha Thera Ashim Moggalana
Putta Tisa presided over the
Council. At his advice, the Council
with the royal patronage and support
of Asoka sent out religious missions
to nine places and nine countries to
spread the Dhamma, Buddha’s
Teachings. The mission sent to
Suvannabhumi [Thaton] was headed by
Maha Theras Sona and Uttara who
successfully carried out their
missionary works there. One of their
pupils and assistants Ashin Somaga
was sent on a mission to
Pauk-khara-wady or Dagon. He resided
at this place and visited Let-kha-ya
and Siha islands and propagated the
Buddha’s teachings there. A hermit
named Khaw Laka who lived on
Utaringa Kon, after hearing the
Dhamma became a bhikkhu. Later Ashin
Somaga and Bhikkhu Kaw Laka went to
Pataliputra in India and requested
Emperor Asoka to give them some
sacred relics of the Buddha for
worship. They received 24 strands of
the Buddha’s hair. They returned to
Siha Island and when they reached
the Pada jetty, they left two sacred
hairs to be enshrined in a pagoda
built there. Later these hairs were
re-enshrined in a pagoda now know as
Kyaik DeiYa. The remaing hair relies
were enshrined each in one pagoda at
each of 16 Villages such as (1) Ta
Hmaw Village (2) Ka Lun Pun Village
(3) Ka Hnein Village (4) Ka Hnaw
Village (5) Mon Naw Village (6) Tha
Laing Village (7) Hmaw Wun Village
(8) Kan Ti Village (9) Kha Pi
Village (10) Tha Naw Kaik Village
(11) Ah Lwei Eake Village (12) Pa
Wun Gai Village (13) Pa Yin Village
(14) Wi Thone Village (15) Pa Ro
Village (16) Than Hlyin Village
[Saga Village] and the remaing six
hairs were enshrined in a pagoda
built on Utaringa Kon [now called
Hlaing Pok Kon].
The pagoda on Utaringa Kon was
built by King Cula Thirimasoka of
Thaton in the Buddhist Era 241. It
was a big structure built of
laterite stone. Because this place
was where Ashin Bhikkhu Kaw Laka
resided, the Pagoda came to be known
as Kaw Laka Pagoda. This name in
course of time corrupted to Khauk
Pagoda or Kyaik Khauk in Mon.
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