The Kyaukse Elephant Dance festival is a fun and impressive show. However, the festival is also steeped in history. King Anawrahta (1015-1078) is one of Myanmarʼs most famous rulers and is considered the father of the Burmese nation. He is also the founder of Kyaukse.
King Anawrahta obtained several Buddhist relics on a trip to China; upon his return to Myanmar (Burma), he decided to build a pagoda to house the precious relics. He strapped the relics to the back of his elephant and told the elephant to choose a suitable spot for the new pagoda. The elephant walked straight to the hill east of Kyaukse and knelt.
At this spot, the King built Shwe-tha-lyaung Pagoda, which is still there today.