Shwedagon Pagoda: The Best Pagoda in Myanmar

It’s one thing to see the Shwedagon Pagoda (Shwedagon Zedi Daw) (ရွှေတိဂုံဘုရား), it’s another thing entirely to know what it is you’re seeing! It is one of the most important sites to see in Asia – a magnificent soaring religious structure that is beautiful, serene, and spiritual. Even if you didn’t have a clue what you were looking at, you’d still be stunned and delighted.

But there is much more to see and experience and understand than a very large pagoda. Read on and learn what you will see and what it means to Burmese Buddhists. I promise it will be one of the most interesting religious precincts you will ever encounter.

Sitting atop Singuttara Hill in Yangon and dominating the skyline (although new hotel developments are fast trying to change that) is the magnificent 2,500-year-old pagoda known as the Shwe Dagon, the oldest pagoda in Myanmar.

The Shwedagon in Burmese History

Shwedagon Pagoda history is not documented in these early periods, but it is one of the pagodas in Myanmar believed to have hairs or teeth of the Buddha buried within them.

Sacred hairs and other body parts of previous Buddhas are known relics of the Buddha. The hairs were given by Gautama Buddha to Tapussa and Bhallika, two merchant brothers, who gave them to King Okkalapa in a golden casket. The King enshrined them in a stupa on Singuttara HIll, a stupa that would grow over time to the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar.

Over the following centuries, the shape of the stupa emerged and the golden pagoda became larger. King Binnya U built it up to a height of 18 meters in the 14th century. It came to be known as a place of pilgrimage.

The modern history of the Great Dagon Pagoda is of a fortified and occupied fort by British troops after the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-26) and during the Second Anglo-Burmese War (1852-53). The British Army kept the Shwedagon under military control for 77 years. After Independence, during the long years of military dictatorship, the Shwedagon became a rallying point for democracy uprisings (and for support for Aung San Suu Kyi) in the 20th and 21st centuries.

The Structure and Layout of Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda Precinct

Buddhist stupas and their larger siblings, pagodas, are similarly designed. You arrive, circumnavigate and leave stupa and pagoda precincts in the same way. Once you get the hang of this it is easy to understand the basic structure and layout of Myanmar pagodas.

Like Burmese villages, pagoda precincts are structured in two ways. The first is with reference to cardinal directions. Cardinal directions are important in Buddhism and in all pagoda precincts. The sections below that describe the entrances and layout of the central pagoda terrace feature a particular cardinal point such as the “east” or “eastern” post, station, and so on.

The second is through what I have described in my academic books as a spiral snail-shell design of space (see my About Me page for more books I’ve written about Myanmar). Burmese villages are structured to repel outsiders by having to navigate a spiral path to the center of the village.

The same is true for the sacred place that is a pagoda precinct. The pagoda and the central Buddha image will be at the center of the compound surrounded by a density of smaller stupas, shrines, and pavilions. The minor religious beings such as animist spirits (which we call Nat spirits in Myanmar), guardian mythical animals, and planetary posts are arranged in a circle further out from the pagoda.

Further out still are Dhamma (ဓမၼ) halls or prayer halls where pilgrims can sit, eat, meditate, and listen to Buddhist sermons.

Further out again are gardens for walking meditation and reflection. In an even wider circle are workshops where religious and cultural objects are made, sometimes by monks. There are then vendors selling snacks and cultural and religious items to pilgrims.

As you approach the Shwedagon and indeed, all pagoda precincts, you will pass each of these elements. The Golden Dagon Pagoda has more of these than any other site in Myanmar and is itself surrounded by a religious precinct that spans an entire city suburb.

Entrances and Arrival at the Shwedagon Pagoda

In Theravada Buddhism, there are five Buddhas, one for each Buddhist era. We are currently in the fourth era and await the coming of the fifth and final Buddha, Maitreya (အရိမေတ္တယျ). Each Theravada Buddhist era (or Kalpa) is the lifetime of a Buddha. I tell you this because there are four entrances that lead to the central terrace of the Shwedagon.

These entrances, Zaung dan, are called by their direction. So, for example, the stairs of the south and north entrances are filled with small shops selling religious paraphernalia.

The image above is of the covered staircase of the southern entrance and the image below is of the eastern staircase.

Each cardinal direction also corresponds to a particular Buddha and that Buddhist image is housed in a pavilion directly across from the entrance and backs onto the Shwedagon Pagoda itself.

All shrines, buildings, and structures at the Shwedagon Pagoda radiate outwards from the Pagoda and their locations are described according to their cardinal direction. Buddhist pilgrims begin circumnavigating the Shwedagon clockwise from the eastern directional shrine.

The Guardians of the Shwedagon Pagoda

Throughout Theravada Buddhist Southeast Asia (Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia) you will find Chinthe (ခြင်္သေ့) guarding the entrances to Buddhist sites. Chinthe are mythical beings, half lion and half dragon (or other mythical beasts) that always appear in pairs.

A protector of religion, it can attack intruders from nine directions. Mentions of Chinthe appear in Pali and they have a special place in Burmese culture, beloved and revered.

Thrones, currency, and other key symbols of the Burmese monarchy, the state, and Buddhism in Myanmar use the Chinthe.

The Shwedagon Pagoda Architecture

Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda towers above the city giving evidence to the appropriateness of the name of the country as The Golden Land. The Shwedagon is coated in gold leaf and plates, and precious stones.

It is surrounded by hundreds of small pagodas, shrines, halls, Buddha images, and statues that show the influence of Hinduism upon Buddhism. The pagoda precinct encompasses shrines to the Nat spirits, the animist spirits integrated into the syncretic religious practices of Burmese people.

Religious structures such as this are called Zedi (စေတီ) which is a Sanskrit word meaning a “heap.” Zedi was constructed for the purposes of meditation. In Southeast Asia, Zedi is known as Stupa or Pagoda and they house “relics.” That is, body parts or items belonging to the current Buddha, Gautama, or, in the case of the Shwedagon Pagoda, relics from all four Buddhas that have existed in the four Buddhist eras to date. This is what makes the Shwedagon such a sacred site for Buddhists.

Like all pagodas, the Shwedagon Pagoda is a physical three-dimensional map of Buddhist cosmology. Essentially this means that Buddhist temples are created in tiers, with each tier higher and smaller than the previous one. The number of tiers is always a number of significance in Buddhism, and yet all such numbers have their origins in earlier religious beliefs and practices.

Pagodas are meant to be viewed and experienced as a pilgrim seeking Enlightenment. Walking without shoes, pilgrims ascend steps to reach the pagoda platform. There are some pagoda platforms in Myanmar forbidden to women and this shows the Buddhist belief that male humans have higher karma than women and are closer to achieving Enlightenment. Walking up the stairs is a way of metaphorically leaving the mundane or every day (non-sacred) world behind.

Pagodas are all about height. The pagoda represents the axis of the world, the Axis Mundi, and reaches towards the heavens and Enlightenment. Pagodas should be circumnavigated in a clockwise fashion.

The image below shows the different tiers of the Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon:

The base or plinth of the pagoda is a brick structure that has been covered in gold. The shape of the pagoda as it rises above the terraces is divided into sections that are everyday shapes seen in Buddhist Myanmar: a lotus bud, a banana bud, a bell, an inverted alms bowl, and an umbrella crown.

Measured from the terrace level, the pagoda is 325 feet high. Kings, queens, and citizens have donated gold plates to Myanmar’s Shwedagon pagoda (following Queen Shin Sawbu’s lead in the 15th century, who donated her weight in gold). King Mindon Min donated the hti (ထီး) or umbrella that crowns the pagoda in 1871 after a particularly violent earthquake bent the previous one.

My favorite part of all pagodas is the sound that the hti makes as its bells tinkle in the wind. Across the country and in the more remote areas I have often been almost alone in pagoda compounds.

My feet seek the shade of the marble tiles overhung with flowering trees and I can hear nothing but the tinkle of tiny bells as they sway in a gentle breeze. These are powerful moments of great serenity and I hope you get to experience this sound on your visit to Myanmar.

The hti at the top of the Shwedagon Pagoda is the grandest ever made. It is made from gold, 5448 diamonds, 2317 rubies, and a diamond weighing 15 grams (76 carats). The hti containing the Shwedagon pagoda diamond has been estimated to be worth US$3 billion. The Shwedagon Pagoda gold weight is hard to calculate but consists of 22,000 gold bars.

Now that you have finished looking upwards at the Pagoda, it is time to begin circumnavigating the structure along the central terrace and see more of this enormous temple complex.

Across from the eastern stairway entrance is the shrine to the First Buddha, Kakasundha. Moving clockwise to the southern stairway entrance you encounter the shrine of the Second Buddha, Konāgamana.

Clockwise again you come to the western staircase entrance and the shrine of the Third Buddha, Kassapa. Finally, you arrive at the northern staircase and the shrine of the Fourth and current Buddha, Gautama. This picture shows the northern cardinal shrine of Gautama Buddha.

Other Shwedagon Pagoda Facts: Stupas and Astrological Stations

Armed with this knowledge of the basic operation of the pagoda itself, you can venture along the terrace of the pagoda to the astrological stations ringing the pagoda.

Flanking the pagoda (the main stupa) are 24 lesser stupas. These contain Buddha images. In front of (and contiguous with), the stupas are astrological stations.

This is where the Shwedagon precinct becomes a true amalgamation of the history of religious beliefs and practices over several thousand years.

Drawn from Hindu astrology but changed in certain key aspects, many of life’s most important decisions (including the letter that your name begins with) depend upon your time and date of birth. The astrological stations are known as Planetary Posts. The Posts are located on octagonal stupas.

There are 8 Planetary that use the Burmese names of the planets that Burmese astrology recognizes as well as the eight days of the week of the traditional Burmese calendar. (In Myanmar, Wednesday is divided into two days). Each day of the week and hence each planetary post has its own mythical animal associated with it.

At the planetary post that corresponds to a person’s day of birth, water is poured over the planetary post and sometimes flowers are given and candles are lit to create a good personal fortune.

As you circumnavigate the Shwedagon Pagoda on the main terrace level you will see these octagonal stupas, the Buddha image at the center, and flanked by a smaller shrine for each Planetary Post (8 in total) with their corresponding guardian animals representing the days of the week. Burmese people pour water over the head of the Buddha image at the center of their Planetary Post and make donations of flowers, fruit, incense, and money.

I know this all sounds a bit complicated, but stay with me, we’re nearly done with the religious symbolism!

You will now be able to recognize the astrological stations and their Planetary Posts because of the guardian animal statues: Sunday has a Garuda, Monday has a Tiger, Tuesday has a Lion, Wednesday has an Elephant (without tusks), Thursday has a Mouse, Friday has a Guinea Pig, and Saturday has a Naga. In the image below you can see a Lion, indicating that this is the Tuesday “corner.”

As you make your way around the Shwedagon you will be able to identify the different posts, corners, stations, and shrines according to their shape and the guardian animals you see there.

The Pavilions and Halls of Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda

Further out from the center of the Pagoda are the pavilions and halls when people get up to all manner of things. Monks, nuns, wizards, hermits, and fortune-tellers hang out here but so do the general Buddhist public, having picnics and chilling out. You will find banyan trees and all manner of shrines and water features.

Buddhist Monks at the Shwedagon

There is a myth in Western countries that Buddhism and its monks are gentle, peaceful folk, renouncing the world and its vicissitudes and focusing instead upon reaching Nirvana or Enlightenment. But that’s not true and the Shwedagon has been a focal point for monks agitating and mobilizing for democracy.

When I lived and worked in Yangon during the military dictatorship periods, I would meet monks at the Shwedagon as it was a relatively safe place away from military intelligence. I met and interviewed monks who were taking part in demonstrations against the military regime and who were agitating for democracy.

Whenever law and order break down in Myanmar, the Burmese people look to the monks. The Buddhist Sangha (the monkhood) are the natural leaders to create order and justice in communities. But monks also seek justice through violent methods and monasteries in Myanmar have been used to store weapons and monks at the Shwedagon I have met were using cans of vegetables to build up their biceps and triceps to fight the military regime if the time came for armed opposition to protect the democracy movement.

Monks in Myanmar do not eat after midday and they do not eat meat. They meditate using both walking and sitting methods.

Monks give sermons, provide advice and share their “field of merit” with their followers. In Myanmar, there is a separate form of the language to address monks.

You may have seen lines of monks (and Buddhist nuns) walking with alms bowls. Feeding the monks is a way of gaining merit in Buddhism.

You will see many monks at the Shwedagon Pagoda and in the monastic precincts that surround the pagoda itself. The whole of Singuttara Hill is a monastic precinct and it is possible to wander for a while day amongst the shrines, small shops gardens, and streets of this central part of Yangon.

Young monks will happily speak with you. It is important NOT to touch monks if you are female. Do not point your feet monks or touch them on the head. In fact, it is rude to point your feet at anyone in Myanmar or to touch them on the head.

When and How to Visit the Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar

All pagoda precincts in Myanmar are surfaced with marble tiles. Walking on these tiles is, for the most part, a pretty disgusting experience. Bird poop, betel juice that has been spat out by pilgrims, and the sheer heat that radiates up from these tiles in the warmer months and in the middle of the day are unpleasant.

That said, this is Myanmar and this is how we do it. You MUST take your shoes off before entering ALL pagoda precincts in Myanmar.

You can leave them with an attendant for a small fee at the foot of the stairs of the four entranceways of the pagoda. I carry mine in a small bag but it is also safe for shoes, even very expensive ones with pagoda attendants. I have been doing this since 1994 and I have never lost a pair of shoes.

You then walk up the stairs of the entranceway and reach the Shwedagon pagoda.

There are elevators and escalators if you have impaired mobility. The escalator is at the Western entranceway and there are elevators at the other entranceways. Take the stairs if you can manage it. Most people enter the Shwedagon from the Southern entranceway. It is lined with shops and you get the full Shwedagon experience!

Where is the Shwedagon Pagoda Located?

The Pagoda is a car ride from the grid of rectangular streets downtown Yangon. It is directly north of this central area, and south of Inya Lake.

The direction you choose depends upon the cardinal entrance you wish to use. I generally use the southern entrance which is the easiest approach from the downtown area.

The map below shows the Shwedagon Pagoda location relative to the downtown area and major landmarks.

Times of Day and Year to Visit Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda

As a Burmese anthropologist and as someone who has been a resident of Yangon, I have been to the Shwedagon Pagoda every month and every time it is open. I have spent hours observing and interviewing here.

The ideal time to visit the Shwedagon Pagoda is the same travel advice for visiting Myanmar in general – during the cool dry months of November, December, January, and February. The monsoon season is dismal in Yangon and avoiding Myanmar during the worst of this (June to the end of September and sometimes until the middle of October) is advisable.

Religious holidays, festivals, and observances happen at the Shwedagon Pagoda. The Shwedagon Pagoda Festival, disallowed during the long decades of military rule, is now celebrated enthusiastically. It occurs on the Full Moon day of Tabaung in March.

New Year’s Day in Myanmar falls in April and this is also a day of celebration at the Shwedagon Pagoda. Other important cultural and religious days in Myanmar to visit the Shwedagon include the annual water festival (Thingyan) in April.

Thadingyut marks the end of Buddhist Lent in October and is the Festival of Light on the Full Moon day of the seventh month of the Myanmar calendar (early-ish October most years) and Tazaundaing which is celebrated on the Full Moon day of the eighth month in November. Marking the end of the monsoon season, citizens donate robes and alms to the monks and there is a robe-weaving competition at the Shwedagon Pagoda.

The marble tiles on the terrace of the Shwedagon Pagoda precinct reflect the heat of the day and it is uncomfortably hot during the middle of the day until the afternoon heat tapers off. That is why I prefer the Shwedagon first thing in the morning.

But no visit to Myanmar is complete without a first visit to the Shwedagon Pagoda at night. If it is your first time in Myanmar, perhaps take a sunset tour of the Shwedagon Pagoda (see below) and then go back to yourself for a leisurely stroll through the many areas that form part of the Shwedagon pagoda precinct.

I like to be there during the day to sit and just watch. This is one place in Yangon where Burmese (Myanmar) people are happy, content and go with friends and family. Monks and nuns hang out in groups and it has for me, during the terrible days of military dictatorship, been a safe refuge, a wonderful serene respite from the authoritarian world that existed below. Now it is a haven from the bustle of Yangon!

Once you have paid the Shwedagon Pagoda entry fee, it is valid for the whole day so you can visit during the day and in the evening of the same day if you have limited time in Yangon. The Shwedagon Pagoda opening hours are  4 a.m. to 10 p.m. The Shwedagon pagoda entrance fee is 10,000 kyat, just under US$10.

Take a Tour of the Best Pagoda in Myanmar

A tour is an ideal way to begin to the best pagoda in Myanmar if:

•  Your time in Yangon is short
•  You’d like to understand more about the Shwedagon Pagoda, its rituals and rhythms
• You’d like to get to and from the Pagoda in a hassle-free (air-conditioned) manner
• You have mobility issues and want to arrive and leave the Shwedagon Pagoda in the easiest way possible.

Best Half-Day Yangon Tours that include Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda

Yangon: Private Half-Day City Tour

Visit the Shwedagon Pagoda Go to downtown Yangon, where you can explore not only the colonial buildings, also the nature of local people and ways of their life, and marvel at the sights. Hotel pick up included, just wait at the lobby, 15 minutes before your departure.

Best for: 

• Travelers wanting to have a high quality, quick tour of central religious and shopping precincts.
• Travelers short on time and wanting to experience a little of central Yangon’s activities including the most important institution of hanging out in a teashop with your friends!
• Travelers wanting to be guided through Yangon and picked up and returned to their hotel.
• Travellers wanting an inexpensive Tour of central Yangon

What’s included:

• English-speaking guide
• Professional Tourist Guide
• Entrance Fees
• Air-Conditioned Coach with experience driver
• Water and refreshment towel

What to bring:

• Passport or ID card
• Sunglasses
• Sun hat
• Comfortable shoes

Not included:

• Personal expenses
• Meals and drinks
• Tips for the guide and driver

Best Full-Day Yangon Tours that include Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda

I’ve included two full-day tours. The first because it is interesting and new and the second because it has the best of the standard Yangon sightseeing and sunset-at-the-Shwedagon Tours: it has the most coverage of the main sites of Yangon in a short period of time.

Yangon Full Day Tour With Circular Train Ride

I love the circle line train! It’s how I used to get out to peri-urban townships where I conducted fieldwork. It allowed me to avoid the military gaze. It was also a way to see townships in a different way than just the buildings that front the main roads.

The time on the train is limited – only 15 minutes from Kyimindine station to Yangon’s main station, but this kind of Tour is a Myanmar first and shows the nascent Tour industry is beginning to get creative in showing travelers how to see Burmese (Myanmar) people going about their everyday lives.

The Tour also takes a walk from the main market (Bogyoke) from the Sule Pagoda around the central historical landmarks of the British colonial era. It still manages sufficient time at the Shwedagon Pagoda and also visits Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda.

It is a new Tour and has an introductory price. It is the most interesting Tour I’ve come across in Myanmar so far and it gives you a great introduction to Yangon.

Best for: 

• Travelers wanting to see the Shwedagon Pagoda with an English-speaking guide as part of a Full-Day Tour of Yangon.
• Travelers wanting to see much of the everyday life and important sites of Yangon in a short period of time.
• Travelers wanting to catch a local train

What’s included:

• All private transfers by air-conditioned vehicle
• Experienced English-speaking local tour guide
• Yangon Circular Train fees
• Lunch
• Shwedagon Pagoda entrance fees
• 1 bottle of drinking water and a refreshing towel
• All taxes and service charges

Not included:

• Gratuities

Yangon City Full Day-Tour

This is my pick of the Yangon Full-Day Tours. It covers all of the ground of other full and half-day tours (except for the Circle Line Train) and does it all in an intelligent and efficient agenda. It ends at the Shwedagon Pagoda for sunset and it’s hard to think of a better ending for a Tour!

The Tour begins at 8 a.m. and ends 10 hours later. I love that you see more than just the colonial architecture of the center – you also walk down and along the riverfront, visit Botathaung, Sule, and Chaukhtatgyi Pagodas, the Karaweik on Kandawgyi Lake, the National Museum, and the main market (Bogyoke). The Tour also goes through the Indian and Chinese shop precincts of the downtown area.

At 6 p.m., Shwedagon Pagoda exploring over, the tour returns travelers to their hotels.

Some attractions in Myanmar are closed on Mondays and Public Holidays and Tours may not run during Thingyan (the annual Water Festival).

Best for:

• Travelers wanting to see the sunset at the Shwedagon Pagoda
• Travelers wanting to see the sights of central Yangon
• Travelers wanting to get around to all of these sights in an effective way and be picked up and returned to their hotel

What’s included:

• Sightseeing with an English-speaking guide
• Transfers in an air-conditioned vehicle
• Entrance fees to the attractions mentioned in the description
• Lunch at a local restaurant
• Pick-up and drop off from/to your hotel
• Snow towel and 1 bottle of purified drinking water

Not included:

• Tips for your guide and driver
• Camera fees  (there is sometimes a small fee to take photographs at pagodas and at some national institutions)
• Personal expenses

Best Evening and Night Tours of Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda

Yangon Evening Shwedagon Pagoda Tour

Enjoy a unique cultural experience at Kyat Khat Wine Monastery, visit a war cemetery dedicated to Allied British soldiers, and marvel at panoramic sunset views from Golden Rock.

Best for:

• Travelers wanting to have a high-quality Shwedagon Pagoda sunset tour.
• Travelers wanting to see the Shwedagon Pagoda with explanations from an English guide
• Travellers wanting to be picked up and returned to their accommodation in Yangon

What’s included:

• Private air-conditioned car
• One night accommodation single/twin sharing with breakfast (deluxe room at Mountain Top or Kyaikhto Hotel)
• English-speaking guide
• Truck fees
• Entrance fees
• All taxes and service charges

Not included:

• Porter fees
• Meals
• Personal expenses
• Travel insurance

The Mystery behind Myanmar’s Cuisine

Try over 15 of the best dishes you can find in Myanmar, sip on refreshing Burmese drinks. Enjoy the intimate setting with a maximum of only 8 guests per group and learn about Yangon culture from your licensed guide

Best for:

• Travelers wanting to try out Myanmar’s best dishes, and learn Yangon culture.

What’s included:

• Licensed guide
• Over 15 traditional dishes
• Snacks and drinks
• Walking tour

Not included:

• Pickup and drop-off
• Extra personal expenses

Best Yangon and Mandalay Tours that include Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda

Yangon & Mandalay 4-Day Tour from Yangon

In this four-day tour, you are able to fly in and out of Myanmar and be met at Yangon International airport. At the conclusion of the Tour, you are returned to the airport. In Mandalay, you visit the Mahamuni pagoda precinct and the wonderful town of Amarapura outside of Mandalay. In Yangon, a visit to the Shwedagon Pagoda includes an English-speaking guide. The Tour also visits the important Sule and Chaukhtatgyi Pagodas in Yangon, and the main market (Bogyoke).

Best for: 

• Travelers wanting to have a high-quality tour of the key sights in the two most important cities in Myanmar
• Travelers wanting to be able to fly in and out of the country in four days and see the most important sights in Yangon and Mandalay with all arrangements taken care of for them, including internal airfares.

What’s included:

• Hotel accommodation with daily breakfast
• Transport on tours
• Domestic flight tickets to Yangon – Mandalay – Yangon with airport taxes
• English-speaking guide on the tour
• Porter charges at the airport
• Meals as listed in the itinerary
• Entrance fees on tours
• Government tax and service charges
• Daily mineral water and cold towel on the bus

Not included:

• Myanmar visa
• All international airline tickets to and from Yangon
• Airport tax
• Personal expenses
• Drinks and other meals
• Tipping and tips
• Early check-in and late check-out

Further Resources

• More detailed information on how to book transport, airfares, accommodation and travel insurance is available on my Travel Resources page
• Get Your Guide Myanmar activities are here
• For another spectacular and must-see Asian temple, see the world’s largest Buddhist temple, Borobodur here