The main sight of Pathein is Shwemokhtaw Paya, a Buddhist temple originally founded according to local legend by King Asoka of India in 305 BC. Bagan's King Alaungsithu raised the height of the stupa to 11 meters in 1115 AD, and King Samodogossa raised it to 40 meters in 1263 AD. The stupa is now 46.6 meters tall, with the topmost layer made of 6.3 kg of solid gold, the middle tier of pure silver, and the third tier of bronze, with some 829 diamonds, 843 rubies, and 1588 semi-precious stones.
There are a number of small umbrella workshops which have been operating for more than 200 years. The umbrellas are hand painted and are very cheap to buy a few dollars each.
