Myanmar’s number one monument, landmark and attraction is undoubtedly the Shwedagon Pagoda. All visits to Myanmar are practically required to include this in their itinerary. This is not just now, but it has been like this for several hundred years now. The date of construction of the Shwedagon Paya is not very clear, some say it was built 2500 years ago, but archeologists say it was built at around the the 6th or 8th century. Regardless of its age, this golden wonder has seen a lot of history.
As with any other Burmese structure, the Shwedagon Pagoda has been rebuilt several times, most of the time it was due to natural calamities, particularly earthquakes. The latest reconstruction to its present height was in the 15th century. The pagoda is so central to the lives of the Burmese that royals or slaves paid homage in the grounds of the pagoda. The pagoda itself is built on top of a small hill a little out the center of Yangon near Kandawgyi lake. The hill combined with the towering height of the pagoda, makes it visible from all over Yangon.
I was blessed with amazingly blue skies and with the sun light glinting off the pagoda, it was truly a sight to behold. I couldn’t help but keep taking photos of the wonderful combination of colors. At that time, it was starting to get hot so I kept hiding in the shade and just taking photos of anything I see. The marble flooring of the pagoda made it quite pleasant to walk around the pagoda. One really needs to be there to appreciate the grandeur of this place, and then you realize that this is probably where Myanmar or Burma got its nickname, the Golden Land.
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