Shwedagon Pagoda: The Best Pagoda In Myanmar - TripAnthropologist The Guardians of the Shwedagon Pagoda. Throughout Theravada Buddhist Southeast Asia (Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia) you will find Chinthe ( ခြင်္သေ့) guarding the entrances to Buddhist sites. Chinthe are mythical beings, half lion and half dragon (or other mythical beasts) that always appear in pairs.