Shwedagon Pagoda

Shwedagon Pagoda

Yangon's Shwedagon Pagoda, also known as the Great Dagon Pagoda or Shwedagon Paya, is a stupa located in Yangon, Myanmar. Standing 98 meters tall, the pagoda is covered with 72 tons of gold and its spire is adorned with nearly 3,000 carats of precious gems. Situated atop the sacred Singuttara Hill to the west of the royal palace gardens, this makes the pagoda the crowning jewel of Yangon’s skyline. The grand structure is awe-inspiring and radiates brilliance when bathed in sunlight.

Housing sacred relics of four Buddhas — the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Konagamana, the robe of Kassapa, and eight hairs of Gautama Buddha — Shwedagon Pagoda is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist site in Myanmar and remains a place of year-round worship. This resplendent golden stupa, along with Indonesia's Borobudur and Cambodia's Angkor Wat, is hailed as a treasure of Eastern art. It is a world-renowned pagoda and a national symbol of Myanmar. Known to locals as "Shwe Dagon," where "Shwe" means "gold" and "Dagon" is the ancient name for Yangon, the pagoda is a source of immense pride for the people of Myanmar.