The Shwedagon Pagoda
We keep growing our list of Asian spots to discover. Today from our luxury hotel in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa, we want to take you to Myanmar to visit the impressive Shwedagon Pagoda.
The Shwedagon Pagoda is the most symbolic place in Yangon, and also one of the symbols of the country. This is one of the 3 temples in Myanmar that are considered as sacred pilgrimage sites along with the Golden Rock, in Bago, and Mahamuni Buddha, in Mandalay.
It is one of the most ancient pagodas in the world. According to the legend, around 2,500 years ago, two merchant brothers met the Lord Gautama Buddha, who gave them eight of his hairs. The brothers went back to Okkalapa and gave the hairs to the King, who ordered to build a temple to enclose this sacred offering.
The Shwedagon Pagoda sits atop Singuttara hill and is 110 metres high. It is famous for being covered with hundreds of gold plates; the temple is made up of 27 tonnes of gold. Besides, the crown of the stupa is tipped with over 5,000 diamonds and over 2,000 rubies.
People all over the country have donated gold to maintain the pagoda. This practice dates back to the 15th century, when the Queen Shinsawbu gave her weight in gold to re-cover the stupa. Burmese keep donating all type of jewellery.
There are a series of rites and traditions that Burmese do while visiting Shwedagon Pagoda. The two most popular ones are: pouring water on the image of Buddha and walking around the stupa clockwise (let ya yit).
If you are already planning your summer holidays, book In Advance at our 5 stars resort in Alicante Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa and get a 15% off. You deserve a few days off in Southeast Asia in the Mediterranean.
