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The Swedagon Pagoda
By Steve Willard
The Swedagon Pagoda is an amazing golden stupa rising 98 metres above Rangoon which dominates the city and must rank amongst the most beautiful man made structures in the world.
It is Burma's most sacred Buddhist pagoda, situated near the Royal Lake on Singuttara Hill.
The Swedagon was built between the sixth and tenth centuries and has been repaired several times over the centuries following earthquake damage.
There are four entrances to the Pagoda, each a long climbing walkway lined with shops selling all manner of goods from religious paraphernalia to souvenirs.
All of the walkways lead to the central platform which features the main stupa. The main stupa is gold plated and is tipped with 5448 diamonds, 2317 rubies and a 76 carat diamond at the peak.
The main stupa is surrounded by a tiled platform featuring many smaller stupas, Buddha images and areas for prayer.
All day the place is packed with Burmese people who, despite their poverty, maintain the Pagoda with their generosity. Indeed the Pagoda compound literally glitters with gold adornments and sparkling clean surfaces whichever way you look.
Image by Ralf-André Lettau
If you arrive by cab you will be dropped at the main entrance where you will be charged a hefty fee in US dollars to enter. Entrance is free for the locals. However you can easily avoid this fee - walk around to any of the other three entrances and you can enter free.
No one seems to mind if you do this - the rule of thumb seems to be that if you choose another entrance you are under no obligation to pay. This may seem miserly but bear in mind your entrance fee most likely goes direct to the repressive Burmese government anyway.
If you wish to make a donation, do so once you reach the main platform - you will see plenty of donation boxes for this purpose.
Getting to the Swedagon Pagoda is easy - any taxi will take you there. As you pass through the entrance, you are required to leave your shoes behind and walk up the long stairways barefoot.
When you reach the platform you are hit with the heavy smell of burning joss sticks and find often large crowds of people worshipping, relaxing or chatting. Groups of people sit before Buddha images praying or receiving instruction.
Wander around, take your time - it is worth spending a good few hours looking around and enjoying the atmosphere.
Provided you dress politely and behave respectfully, you will find that the local Burmese people are more than happy to see you visit. It is common for english speakers to approach you for a chat, particularly if you take a seat in one of the prayer areas.
This is rare in Rangoon where western visitors are routinely followed about all day by military intelligence guys as a matter of course and people are wary about chatting without a good pretext. Within the grounds of the Pagoda I found people much more willing to sit and chat.
It can get hot at the Pagoda, particularly with no shoes, and in the end it was the heat that led me to reluctantly leave after several hours.
Fortunately after you leave there is an inviting little pub / restaurant across the road that has a mixed western / Asian menu with some bizarre interpretations of some dishes. However its a friendly spot, they have music and cold Tiger and Fosters beer.
Anywhere else in the world such an incredible place would be jam packed with hordes of camera toting tourists. Not so here - most of the time you will be amongst no more than a dozen or so foreign visitors.
Do try to visit the Swedagon Pagoda independently rather than with a tour group - this is a place well worth enjoying at your own pace.
A bird's eye view of the Swedagon Pagoda, courtesy Google Earth
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