Inside the Shwedagon Pagoda - a collection of photos

Mid--day sun over the Shwedagon

I have created three blog posts for the Shwedagon Pagoda itself. I found it utterly mesmerizing, and simply could not stop staring at it. I am probably not the only one who thinks this way. Many visitors who have been there report being dazzled by the Shwedagon. I took many photos of the place, and this post will have more photos than text!

Little shrines to the Buddha everywhere you turn

This tree was grown from a cutting from the original Bodhi tree that the Buddha gained enlightenment under

The Singu Min Bell

There is an interesting story associated with the Singu Min Bell. This bell is more than 300 years old and weighs about 25 tons. It is said that in 1825, the British took it from the Pagoda as spoils of war during the first Anglo-Burmese War. But the bell was so heavy, that the British ship which was carrying the bell sank! Any attempts to salvage the bell by the British ended up being unsuccessful. A Burmese group eventually managed to rescue the bell from the river and restored it to the Pagoda.

One of the many ornate prayer pavillions in the Shwedagon

So gold, much wow

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