Shwedagon Pagoda

  Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar Thursday, October 23, 2014

Wow. What more is there to say about this place. We passed it on the way from the airport yesterday and we could see it from our hotel roof when we were having breakfast this morning and it was impressive then. So on our MUST DO list before we leave the city tomorrow (and all the guide books agree too) we grabbed a taxi and headed over there at 4pm this evening. We have learnt from our experience at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, that anything golden is definitely best viewed in twilight or when it's dark. The gold seems to shine out more then for some reason - much more so than in bright sunshine. Entrance is along a huge columned building with marble floors. There are a few stalls selling cheap children's toys along the way but other than that, this cavernous building is empty. And what a thoroughly modern city Yangon is, they have escalators to take you all the way up the hill to the level the temple is on - very civilised and not like any other temple we had been too. We had to pay to go in - K8000 or (£5 each) which we thought was a bit steep until we went in. The sight before us was just breathtaking. The gold glittering in the sun. But it was as the sun went down that this place really took your breath away. You can see from our photographs just how stunning this place was. Unfortunately while we were here, the main stupor in the centre was being re-guilded so the top part was covered in bamboo scaffolding and the lower parts had all been striped bare of all their gold. There was a smaller stupor you can see in our pictures which just shone so brilliantly it was easy to imagine what the big one will be like when they have finished. We thought you may like a couple of facts here The Shwedagon Pagoda (“Pagoda” meaning stupa) is the holiest Buddhist shrine in Myanmar and according to the legend, it was built about 2,500 years ago. However, archaeologists estimate the time period to be between the 6th and 10th centuries. The site is an iconic landmark and sits on top of the Singuttara Hill dominating the skyline of the city of Yangon. The Pagoda has been rebuilt a number of times due to earthquakes and the present structure dates from the rebuild under King Hsinbyushin in 1769. The fact that the padoga has withstood and endured the renovations adds to the majesty of the place. The site stands strong, steady and sacred to this day.  The main Pagoda had been decorated with 8000 gold plates, 5000 diamonds and 2000 gems. Many semi precious stones were used for the same purpose. Hence, it is not surprising that the site has been plundered a number of times over the years and that the 300-year-old bell covered with jewels is now lost. There is over 60 tons of gold covering the stupors This truly is one of the most stunning temple complexes we have been to. It goes without saying that we would recommend this to everyone coming to Myanmar Just to tease you a bit more - if you are reading this on Facebook, we have saved all the best pictures for our blog!   [gallery columns="4" ids="8704,8712,8720,8732,8738,8747,8756,8761,8773,8781,8791,8801,8811,8823,8830,8837,8851,8856,8858,8864,8869,8876,8885,8887,8890,8893,8897,8899,8904,8908,8911,8914,8920,8926,8928,8932,8934,8937,8942,8947,8950,8952,8954,8958,8961,8963,8965,8967,8970,8972,8973,8974,8975,8976,8977,8978,8979,8980,8981,8982,8983,8984,8985,8986,8987,8988,8989,8990,8991,8992,8993,8994,8995,8996,8997,8998,8999,9000,9001,9002,9003,9004,9005,9006,9007,9008,9009,9010,9011,9012"]