Impressive Temple (The Shwedagon Pagoda) the largest and oldest in the world - Impresionante Templo (La Pagoda Shwedagon) la más grande y antigua del mundo

Brief history:

At Maha Sakarit (about 600 BC), Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment and while traveling in all seven directions, two merchants offered him food as alms. Buddha wanted to thank him and as a blessing he offered them eight strands of hair. The merchants returned to the Okkalapa land where they were received by King Okkalapa. His subjects consecrated the 8 hairs of Buddha along with some relics of three other Buddhas prior to this. Thus it was decided to build the Shwedagon Pagoda to keep this precious offering, the 8 hairs of Buddha.

During the year 600 BC until the 14th century approximately was maintained by 32 kings of the Okkalapa dynasty and other monarchs. In 1453 AD, when Queen Shin Saw Pu ascended the throne, she wished to raise the height of the pagoda further up to 92 meters and in 1774, King Sinbyushin had it rebuilt at a height of 99.36 meters as it stands .

It is a place full of energy in which hundreds of people (mostly Burmese) who come to pray or make some donation, as well as the visits of tourists that are increasing year after year. It is so much the magic or power that this place has that in it have occurred several important events for the Burmese society. Shwedagon was the camp of hundreds of people during the second strike of students in the history of the country in year 1,936. In 1946 General Aung San made a large speech asking for independence from the British. And finally, 42 years later Aung San Suu Kyi, the general's daughter, made another speech in front of more than half a million people demanding the military government to restore democracy to Myanmar.

How to get there and when to go:

The Shwedagon Pagoda is located north of the old town and Yangon's Chinatown. It is located on the Singuttara hill west of the Great Kandawgyi Park and Lake. It dominates the heights of the city of Yangon so it is easy to locate it from any floor a little elevated. Walking from the old town or Sule Pagoda is about 40 minutes. You could also get a taxi between 4 or 6 dollars. It is best to visit the Shwedagon Pagoda at sunset, about 4 or 5 in the afternoon. This way you can contemplate the change in your lighting.

Source : http://vivemyanmar.com/pagoda-shwedagon/

Fuente : http://vivemyanmar.com/pagoda-shwedagon/