Photos

Legend has it that the Shwedagon Pagoda is 2,500 years old, but archaeologists estimate it was first built by the Mon sometime between the 6th and 10th centuries (during the Bagan period). An inscription tells the story of Shwedagon in three languages (Pali, Mon, and Burmese). It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar, said to enshrine the relics of the past four Buddhas, including eight hairs from Gautama.

This was taken up close to a statue of Buddha, in a shrine dedicated to Wednesday morning (when I was born). It was quite intricately made and I tried to capture this detail here.