The golden stupa
Over five terraces.
Grayswoodsurrey — CC BY-SA 4.0 · David.Clay.Photography — CC BY-SA 4.0 · rheins — CC BY 3.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gerd Eichmann — CC BY-SA 4.0
Shwezigon Pagoda is a gilded Buddhist stupa in the town of Nyaung-U near Bagan, and the prototype for the Burmese stupas that came after it. It is a round stupa covered in gold, surrounded by smaller temples and shrines. Building began under King Anawrahta, founder of the Pagan kingdom, around 1059, and was finished in 1102 under his son King Kyansittha. Many earthquakes have struck it over the centuries and it has been restored several times, most recently covered with more than 30,000 copper plates. Its followers believe it holds a bone and a tooth of the Buddha. The stupa rises over five square terraces, and the lower terraces carry coloured glazed tiles telling Buddhist stories. A long covered corridor leads from the gate to a wide courtyard shining with gold, and at its edge stands a stone pillar with old inscriptions in the Mon language. Ananda Temple is about 4 km away in a straight line. Visitors go barefoot, so take off your shoes at the gate and wear clothes covering your shoulders and knees. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to this area, so read the current advice before you plan.
Over five terraces.
Coloured stories.
From the gate.
Nyaung-U, near Bagan, Myanmar
In Nyaung-U, north of the Bagan zone.
Morning or before sunset, when the gold shines.