Shwedagon Pagoda

About this place

Shwedagon Pagoda is a gilded Buddhist stupa in Yangon and the most sacred pagoda in Myanmar. It rises 112 metres on Singuttara Hill, standing 170 metres above sea level and dominating the city's skyline. Yangon's building rules cap heights so that it stays the tallest, and you can see it from many parts of town, above all when lit at night. Tradition says it was built more than 2,500 years ago, in the Buddha's lifetime, which would make it the oldest stupa in the world for its followers. The story tells of two merchants who brought eight strands of the Buddha's hair to be kept here. These are religious accounts held by local people, while historians place its building much later. You climb from one of four entrances and come out on a wide marble terrace circling the great golden stupa. Dozens of small shrines with tiered wooden roofs in gold, green and white surround it, so the terrace feels like a small town. The finest time is just before sunset, when the gold shines and then the lights come on. Sule Pagoda is about 3 km away in a straight line. Visitors go barefoot, so take off your shoes and socks at the stairs, and the floor gets hot at midday. Wear clothes covering your shoulders and knees, and walk clockwise as worshippers do. The UK Foreign Office does not name Yangon among the areas it warns against, but it calls the situation in Myanmar volatile, so read the current advice before you plan.