~~Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar~~

by **ApsarA** Wed Feb 02, 2011 1:10 pm

Shwedagon pagoda

Measuring 98 meters in height, this giant stupa is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in all of Myanmar, hosting relics of the last four Buddhas enshrined inside it. There are no records of when the Shwedagon Pagoda was built, legends say it was 2500 years ago but archeological reports say the stupa dates back to somewhere between the 6th and 10th centuries.

Shwedagon Pagoda is also known as the Golden Pagoda and unlike other structures that are painted golden, this Buddhist place of worship is actually covered with real gold. In the 15th century the queen ordered that it be leafed in gold and to this day, visitors sometimes buy small gold leafs and decorate the pagoda.

~~Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar~~ Shwedagon2

~~Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar~~ Shwedagon2

~~Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar~~ 1645790zigi3657oe