Shwedagon
Shwedagon is the holiest pagoda in Burma, reputed to hold 8 hairs from the head of Gautama Buddha himself. The pagoda is an enormous complex of temples, pagodas, and shrines on top of a hill near the center of the city. The spire is visible from the rivers and from much of the old city, gleaming in the sunlight due to the enormous quantity of gold coating the main spire. It was an old site when Emperor Ashoka visited in 260BC, and has been gilded since the 15th century. The proportions of the main shrine and the series of structures is typical of Burmese architecture, the shape echoed throughout the country.
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