The leaning rock
Over the edge.
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Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, also called the Golden Rock, is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in Mon State. It is a small pagoda of 7.3 metres on a granite boulder covered in gold leaf, on top of the mountain. The rock seems to defy gravity, forever about to roll off the edge, which is the reason for its fame, and it is the third most important pilgrimage site in the country. Legend says the Buddha gave a hermit a strand of his hair, kept in his own hair, and that the rock rests upon this strand. Another legend says the celestial king carried the rock here, impressed by a monk's asceticism. In Mon the name means a pagoda on a hermit's head. These are religious accounts held by pilgrims, and visitors will hear no single geological explanation. You stand on a wide terrace on the mountain, with the golden rock leaning over a larger rock before you and green valleys running to the horizon below. Men press gold leaf onto its surface, while women are not allowed to approach and touch it. At sunset the gold shines strongly, and at night the rock glows under lights as pilgrims light candles. It is about 126 km from Shwedagon in a straight line and about 21 km from Kyaikto, and visitors ride up in open trucks. Nights are cold, so bring a jacket. Remove your shoes on the terrace. The UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to this area, and roads and flights may be cut, so read the current advice before you plan.
Over the edge.
To the horizon.
Candles and lights.
Mount Kyaiktiyo, Mon State, Myanmar
No, the rule lets only men approach, and women stop at a set point.
By open trucks from the base and then a short walk, so check that they are running.