Kyaiktiyo Pagoda

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, also known as Golden Rock Pagoda, is the third most important sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site in Burma after Shwedagon Pagoda and Mahamuni Pagoda. It is a small pagoda, just 7m (24ft) high, sits atop the golden rock, a massive, golden leafed boulder delicately balanced on the edge of a cliff at the top of Mount Kyaiktiyo. The golden rock seems to defy gravity, as it perpetually appears to be on the verge of rolling down the mountain.

For a mere tourist Kyaiktiyo Pagoda is a sight and an experience to rival the wonders of Shwedagon Pagoda or the breathtaking beauty of Bagan. Like any pilgrimage a visit to Kyaiktiyo Pagoda involves a certain amount of hardship. The height of the season of pilgrimage to Kyaiktiyo Pagoda is from November to March when the atmosphere surrounding Kyaiktiyo Pagoda is filled with magi and devotion, especially when the glinting boulder is bathed in the purple, misty, light of dawn and dusk. Pilgrims chant, light candles and meditate all through the night.