Pakokku

Pakokku is a town in the Magway Division. It is situated about 30 km north-west of Bagan on the Irrawaddy River. It is the administration seat of Pakokku Township and Pakokku District. Pakokku used to serve as a port. 

The area east of Pakokku is characteristic of Myanmar’s dry zone, with undulating gravelly and sandy land. The Chindwin and Irrawaddy rivers provide alluvium and are utilized for irrigation. To the west, over the Shinmataung and Tangyi ridges, the region is drained by the Yaw and Myittha rivers. Currently, Pakokku plays as a trading centre for the Chindwin and Yaw River valleys and famous for its agricultural products including peanuts, sesame and rice. The region is famous for its tobacco trading. And Pakokku is also well known for its local variety of thanakha, which is a distinctive yellowish paste made from ground bark and widely available at its markets.

Agriculture aside, Pakkoku produces beautiful rattan furniture and home wares, velvet slippers and traditional silks, with market prices being infinitely better value than those in Bagan. There are also a number of slipper making factories – the buildings are nondescript but you’ll know you’ve stumbled upon one when you see row upon row of soles laid out the front to dry in the sun.

This town was occupied by Communist rebels in 1949 and held until 1955, when it was liberated by government forces. Pakokku was a quiet backwater until 2007, when it found itself front-and-centre in international headlines. Monks from the Myo Ma Ahle monastery here kick-started the nationwide protests against rising petrol prices that became the ‘Saffron Revolution’. While the monks' uprising failed in the short-term, observers argue its brutal suppression was an important watershed and a key element in pushing the generals to kickstart the reform process. Civilians in Buddhist majority Myanmar are highly respectful of monks and the affront to them led to nationwide protests. The monks’ demands expanded to include the release of all political prisoners, including global democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who was still under house arrest.

People in town are extremely friendly and hospitable. However accommodation options remain limited, both in terms of quantity and amenities.

For those in Pakokku during either late May or the end of the June, experiencing the month – lThiho Shin Pagoda Festival is likely to become the highlight of your visit to Myanmar as you will have chance to participate in the festival with amazing shows and traditional games. The pagoda is the most famous in Pakokku and was built 800 years ago by King Alaungsithu during the Bago Dynasty. Every year it comes to life with traditional forms of entertainment, such as the musical plays drawn from Buddhist scriptures known as zatpwe and the nhaparthwar, a dance and song performed as a duet.