Description of the attraction
The most famous Buddhist temple in Myanmar is the Shwedagon Pagoda, located near Lake Kandawgi in Yangon. Its name is translated from Burmese as "Gold of Dagon" (Dagon is the previous name of Yangon). The Shwedagon Pagoda, 98 meters high, literally shines in the rays of the southern sun: it is covered with thin gold plates and crowned with a sphere covered with more than 4 thousand precious stones. This includes a huge 76-carat diamond.
Shwedagon Pagoda is not empty day or night. Thousands of believers come here in an endless stream to see with their own eyes four relics that belonged to four Buddhas. The pagoda itself is built in the form of a begging bowl that belonged to the Konagamana Buddha. It is this bowl, as well as the staff of Buddha Kakusandha, a detail of the clothes of Buddha Kassapa and several hairs of Buddha Gautama that are considered the main treasures of the Shwedagon temple.
The stupa is located on the highest hill in Yangon, so from its base there is a magnificent view of the city. It is surrounded by smaller stupas, statues of elephants, sphinxes, people in prayer positions, chapels in which Buddha figures are placed, etc. You can get into the middle of the pagoda through one of four entrances. However, only the northern portal is reserved for tourists. Anyone from the local residents working as a tour guide or Buddhist monks can show all the sights of the temple.
At the base of the stupa, there are four entrances to underground tunnels. According to legend, it is dangerous to go down there, because at the slightest careless movement, sharp blades pop out of the walls, created to stop intruders who have attempted on the treasures of the temple. Other legends claim that these tunnels can be used to reach Bagan and Thailand.
