Myanmar
Shwedagon Pagoda 3D
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Welcome to the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar! This dazzling golden tower is covered in real gold plates and crowned with thousands of diamonds, making it one of the most sacred and sparkling sites in the world.
Why is it famous?
The Shwedagon Pagoda is completely covered in genuine gold plates, glowing brilliantly whenever sunlight hits it.
It's the most sacred Buddhist site in Myanmar, believed to hold relics connected to four past Buddhas.
How was it built?
Legend says the pagoda was first built over 2,500 years ago, though most historians believe construction began sometime between the 6th and 10th centuries.
Over hundreds of years, generations of rulers and worshippers kept adding more gold and rebuilding the pagoda taller, until it reached its current height of about 110 meters (360 feet).
Quick facts
- The very top of the pagoda is crowned with an umbrella-shaped decoration encrusted with 4,531 diamonds, including one giant 72-carat diamond.
- That golden umbrella crown alone weighs about half a ton and stands 43 feet (13 meters) tall.
- The pagoda started out much smaller — only about 27 feet tall — before growing to its current towering height.