We organized the second day in two distinct phases: in the first we would have visited the places of interest around the Kandawgyi artificial lake, while in the afternoon we would have turned our attention to the Shwedagon Pagoda. During the day it may happen to be approached by monks practicing their English: be friendly and always smile!

Kandawgyi Park

Kandawgyi park, the first stop of the day, was reached after about an hour's walk.
It appeared as a silent oasis amidst the hustle and bustle and noise, where you can walk, for some stretches, on a large wooden walkway around the large colonial artificial lake, where the Karaweik Hall restaurant is "moored"; the latter is a huge replica of a royal barge on which the Burmese kings used to travel on waterways, and among other things the figure is used as a logo by the historic and local Burmese beer "Myanmar".

Chaukhtatgyi Pagoda

This 1907 pagoda houses a gigantic reclining Buddha, approximately 66 meters long and as tall as a 5-story building.

The colors of his golden robes, white face and feet covered with 108 decorated lakshanas (physical characteristics that distinguish the Buddha) made it a must-visit place, even if during our visit it was being restored, surrounded by scaffolding. bamboo. In the surroundings, monks of all ages peeked out from the monasteries in the area.

Ngahtatgyi Pagoda

The pagoda contains a fascinating and gigantic statue of golden Buddha seated on an intricate inlaid wooden throne, whose face was illuminated by the sun's rays which gave it a suggestive aura. As always, the atmosphere in these places was truly magical, full of silence and inner peace.

Shwedagon Pagoda

After having lunch near the Bo Gyoke park (the entrance is very reminiscent of the communist style of the military regime in North Korea) we arrived at the pagoda symbol of national identity, the Shwedagon, which rises from the Singuttarra hill dominating the whole district with the its unmistakable profile.

It is the holiest religious place for Burmese, and one of the most important in the world, as it contains the relics of the four Buddhas: the water bottle of Konagamana, the stick of Kakusandha, a fragment of Kassapa's dress and eight strands of hair of Gautama (the historical Buddha).

• History

According to legend, the Shwedagon Paya was founded in 588 BC, which would make it the oldest stupa in history, but recent archaeological studies date its construction in the Mon period, or between the sixth and tenth centuries.

King Mon Binnya U of Bago raised the stupa to a height of 18 meters, but the pagoda began to take shape about 100 years later, under the reign of Queen Shinsawbu (1453-1472), who raised the stupa to 40 meters, and as complementary works he erected a terrace all around, added the north staircase and assigned personnel for its maintenance; it also started the tradition of covering the stupa with gold, giving as much precious metal as its weight was.

The pagoda thus became the most famous pilgrimage site in Myanmar, and consequently also the object of looting first by the Portuguese and then by the British during the Anglo-Burmese wars (curious fact: both Portuguese and English never managed to deprive the Burmese people of two different very heavy bells because they overturned in the river during transport).

As Myanmar is a state subject to important seismic phenomena, the pagoda was rebuilt several times, reaching its current shape and height (99m) in 1800.

The Shwedagon played a key role during all the protests that took place in the last century of the millennium just ended.

Here, while in the first part of the twentieth century protests by students, workers and peasants were organized against the British colonials, in the second half the democratic movement was opposed to the military regime, especially in 1988 (gathering more than a million people) and in the 2007 during the Saffron Revolution, an anti-regime movement organized by tens of thousands of Buddhist monks.

• Structure  

The Shwedagon can be accessed from street level using one of the four covered stairways that end at the top of the terrace; among them the south stairway flanked by a snake of silent stalls where mostly religious articles and offerings consisting of bells, flowers and incense deserve attention for its majesty.

After climbing the last step, a world opens up: despite the heat, all the buildings are ventilated, and the corridors and rooms are shaded and cool. The atmosphere of peace and tranquility creates a suggestive effect when you arrive at the platform.

The stupa is a huge octagonal-conical structure 99 meters high, completely covered with gold (22,000 ingots!) Which rests on a white square base, and is surrounded by an infinity of colored statues depicting mythological figures, kings, ascetics and dancers. From the base rises the first section of the stupa, consisting of 3 octagonal terraces, surrounded by 64 small stupas (8 on each side) where only monks can climb.

At the top stands the huge spire, crowned by a gold umbrella decorated with thousands of precious stones, including a 76-carat diamond that spreads the sun's rays at dawn and dusk.

The majestic zedi is not the only building that rises on top of the hill: around it there are a multitude of temples and sanctuaries with beautiful shapes, containing very particular precious artifacts for the Burmese culture and religion, and the whole is populated by an infinity of monks and people who came to visit for a moment of prayer, study, celebration or even to indulge in a relaxing moment.

Walking around the entire temple complex will give you unique moments that will remain forever in your memories.