Out of this world - the Shwe Dagon Pagoda

I think the time is here when I need to start posting about my Myanmar trip. I'll start off with one of the most amazing places in the country, the mind-blowing Shwe Dagon Pagoda.

And landing and a taxi ride to the wrong hotel, we dropped off our luggage and headed toward the Shwe Dagon Pagona. The hotel is conveniently located right next to it, so we used to opportunity to check it out in night time, with all that gold glistening under the lights.

It was Peasant's Day, so the temple was packed with families coming to pray and light incense sticks, and to thank for the (hopefully) fruitful year. People are walking around the Pagoda, with numerous smaller temples along the circular route and the small alley ways branching out, incense sticks all around, sounds of bells in the distance, groups of pilgrims chanting, singing, praying...

That place is mind blowing indeed. Just thinking about how it was built, how people decorated it all (and how long it took them), what it means to people, being the most sacred temple for Buddhist in Myanmar and worldwide...

To mention only some of the details regarding the Pagoda, it is probably the one zedi or stupa you want to check out. It's been around for approximately 2500 years, and is comprised of the main zedi and 82 other buildings. It's been built on the place that contained Buddha relics, including eight of his hairs. Over the years the zedi has grown to 99 m tall and has reportedly accumulated more than 53 metric tonnes of gold leaves.

The ancient Burmese dug a hole on a hill near Dagon, built a tomb and covered it with a golden plate. Several stupas made from different materials were erected on top of it one by one - golden, silver, tin, copper, lead, marble, iron, and brick. The main zedi is made completely out of gold, with another 5000 diamonds and 2000 gemstones covering its surface. It's no wonder it has been repeatedly plundered and that some parts of it are missing.

It was just overwhelming at times, so I had to take a sit and soak it all in. Going around the Paya with all those people gives you an incredible feeling of being part of the whole thing. You take a photo of a cathedral or a Hindu temple, but that's pretty much as far as it goes. Listening to all the changing, smelling all the incense, being part of the human flood - it really sound reasonable for it to be life changing.

Even with people chattering, I felt at peace. The ambience is just mesmerising, making you think about yourself, your life, your purpose, your goals, your ideas, your thoughts... It's actually a bit scary and feels as if someone's looking straight into your soul...

There are several entrances into this pagoda. We took one that seemed the most convenient, and convenient it was. And yes, those are escalators.

Besides the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, there is so many more temples around it, so you can make a circular round and visit temples along the way.

Only a couple of numerous Buddha statues around the temple. Buddha is, of course, worshipped in many temples, where people come and pray. I'm not sure how come some are more visited than others, but it might be something similar to patrons - each family worships a specific one and prays to it as the protector.

The tip of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, said to be the most sacred pagoda, because it contains relics of four Buddhas within: the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight strands of hair from Gautama, the historical Buddha.

The pagoda is partially made of gold plates, covered in gold donated by monarch and later on added by devotees. The top is tipped by a 15 g diamond.

One of my favorite shots, especially because it's quite hard to get the shy monks into a photo.

Travelling to Myanmar, you're supposed to be aware of your manners. You're not supposed to touch a monk's robes, touch anybody on the head (being it's regarded as the most sacred part of the body) and, among many others, sit with your feet sticking out.

That's why everybody tucks away their feet while sitting on the floor, praying, eating and similar. It's a bit hard to get used to (even though they have similar rules in India), especially when you're as bony as me and sitting down on marble.

Bling bling, isn't it? The details are amazing, but the surface of the whole thing even more.