Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon, Myanmar

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Shwedagon Pagoda

 

Shwedagon’s origins have long since vanished into antiquity. Exactly how old it is, no one really

knows. But what is known historically is that long before the pagoda was erected, its present location

on the hill of Singuttara has long since been regarded as a sacred site because of the 3 previous Buddhas’ relics which were buried here.

Legend has it that it had been almost five thousand years since the last Buddha had tread on the

earth’s surface. It was feared that the hill of Singuttara would lose its sacredness unless the relics of

a new Buddha re-consecrated it. Suvannabhumi’s King Okkalapa took it upon himself to remedy this situation by praying and meditating on top of the hill.

Several miracles occurred and 8 hairs belonging to the historical Buddha were miraculously taken up

the hill. Several pagodas made of tin, silver, copper, marble, lead, gold, and iron were constructed on

top of the other to enshrine the sacred relics. The combined pagoda rose to a height of 20 meters.

The succeeding centuries saw the pagoda rise to its current height of 98 meters.

A lot of the reconstructions done on the Shwedagon Pagoda were made in the aftermath of

particularly destructive earthquakes.