We took a taxi to Shwedagon our very first night in Rangoon. Leaving the hotel around 4:30 PM, we arrived about 20 minutes later. The best time to go is in the evening right before dark for a couple of reasons. One is to experience the locals who come to worship at that time and the other is to avoid the intense sun and heat of the day. We left our flip flops at the South entrance and took an elevator up to the temple.
From Wikipedia: " The Shwedagon Pagoda, officially titled Shwedagon Zedi Daw, also known as the Golden Pagoda , is a 98-metre (approx. 321.5 feet) gilded stupa located in Yangon , Burma . The pagoda lies to the west of Kandawgyi Lake , on Singuttara Hill , thus dominating the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined within, namely the staff of Kakusandha , the water filter of Konagamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight hairs of Gautama , the historical Buddha. " |
