One of the most sacred places of the Buddhism, 326 feet of zedi (mortar) decorate with 27 metric tons of gold leaf, along with thousands of diamonds and other treasures here, and as believe, store locks of hair of Gautama Buddha and also a relic of three former buddhas.

Four entrance ladders bring into the main terrace. Visit at dawn if you want tranquility; otherwise show the respect when gold fire of a mortar, dark red and dark orange in the sun situations.

The following lights history and arrangement of Shwedagon Paya. Non-staff guides (they will define location you before you are able to find them), can provide more detailed information. Travel agencies can suit guides also; the advantage, regularly planned tour which also includes vicinities, is offered by Khiri Travel.

History

On a legend, there was a mortar on Singattara-Hill during 2600 since two trade brother, Tepassa and Ballika, met Buddha. He gave them eight of hair to take away to Myanmar, the earth which is operated by the king Okkelepa. Okkelepa stored hair in the temple of gold, together with relics of three former buddhas which then was enclosed in the temple of silver, then one of tin, then copper, then conducts, then marble and, at last, one of a simple iron brick.

Archeologists assume that the original mortar was constructed by people on Monday some time between the 6th and 10th centuries. Together with many other ancient zedi in Myanmar, inclined to an earthquake, it was many times restored. During Pagan (Pagan) the period of history of Myanmar (the 10th by the 14th centuries), history of a mortar appeared from legend fogs to become an incontestable fact.

In the 15th century the tradition of gilding of a mortar began. Shinsobu's queen who was responsible for many improvements of a mortar provided the own weight (88 pounds) in gold which fought in gold leaf and was used to cover structure. Her son-in-law, Dammatsedi, went slightly better, having offered four times his body weight and that from his wife in gold.

In 1612 the Portuguese traitorous adventurer Filip de Brito made raid on a mortar from the base in Thanlyin and carried away 300-ton Dammatsedi with intention to kindle it for tools is ringing. As the British had to make later with other call, he accidentally threw it into the river where it remains.

Within the 17th century the monument transferred damage from an earthquake in eight cases. I had to follow worse in 1768 when the earthquake lowered the whole top of zedi. To the king Hsinbyushin recovered him to almost its existing height and his current dates of a configuration from that repair.

The British troops occupied a complex within two years immediately after the First Anglo-Burmese war in 1824. In 1852, during the Second Anglo-Burmese war, the British took paya again, soldiers robbed it once again, and it remained under military control within 77 years till 1929. Before the British absorption of the southern Myanmar there was protective earthwork around paya, but they were considerably expanded by invaders. Installations for their tools can be still noticed out of an external wall.

In 1871 the granting new hti (similar to an umbrella decorative top of a mortar) the king Mindon Min from Mandalay called a considerable main scratch for the British who not strongly wished at all such association which will be made with still independent part of Myanmar.

The huge earthquake 1930 which completely destroyed Shwemawdaw in Bago caused only insignificant damage to Shwedagon. Next year it wasn't so successful when paya postponed from the serious fire.

After other insignificant earthquake in 1970, zedi was dressed to bamboo forests which stretched out of 100-year hti of the king Mindon and were repaired. The mortar also had to be restored after Sikloun Nargis 2008.

Within the last centuries of Shwedagon Paya was the place for big political activity during the movement for independence of Myanmar - Aung San Suu Kyi spoke with large crowds here in 1988, and the temple was also in the center of protests of monks in 2007.

Location of the temple

The hill, on which stands of a mortar of 190 feet above sea level, with all complex covering 114 acres. As it is widespread with temples in Myanmar, four zaungdan (the covered passes) approach the main terrace, each of which is framed at its entrance with couple 30ft-high chinthe (deities полульва / a semi-dragon). If you don't want to rise by steps, the southern, east and northern entrances have elevators while the western zaungdan has sets of escalators.

All but the western zaungdan are leveled with the booths selling flowers - both real and beautifully made paper - for offers, Buddha's images, ceremonial umbrellas, books, ancient things, aromatic sticks and many other things. There are also fortunetellers and stands of currency exchange.

You appear from zaungdan shade in visual disharmony of gloss of technicoloured in the main terrace laid a floor by marble littered by the pavilions and halls of religion containing Buddha's images and two huge pig-iron bells.

In the center of a terrace Shwedagon Paya is located on a square pedestal which costs 21 foot above a disorder of the main platform and immediately establishes a mortar above smaller structures. Smaller mortars also sit on this lifted platform - four big note four cardinal directions, four averages of the size note four corners of a pedestal and 60 small which operate around perimeter.

From this basis of zedi raises at first in three terraces, then in 'octagonal' terraces and then in five round groups. The shoulder of a call is decorated 16 'with flowers'. The call is headed by ‘the turned sphere’, other traditional element of architecture of a mortar, and above this stand stucco mouldings, then ‘lotus petals’. They consist of the downturned group of the petals accompanied with group of the turned petals. A banana kidney - the final zedi element before the tops inlaid by a treasure hti it.

Around a mortar basis eight planetary positions correspond to days of the week; locals pray at the station which represents day, they were born. If you want to join them and you don't know day of the birth, fortunetellers in the temple have almanacs which will provide the answer. The note that Wednesday is divided into the births in the morning and the births in the afternoon - for the last to which you worship in the Rahu mail in a northwest corner of a basis of a mortar.

Before leaving the main terrace, you crack in the small museum which is crowded with Buddha's statues and religious jewelry. Look for large-scale model of a mortar and beautiful painting of the temple of MT of Hla. The photo gallery also definitely costs a look, especially for schnapps close up it is displays of top of a mortar.