SHWEDAGON PAGODA IN YANGON, MYANMAR BY DUSK AND EVENING IS SO MAGICAL AS I FEEL LIKE I AM IN A 'PURELAND'!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

 ON 16 JUNE 2015 I RETURNED TO VISIT SHWEDAGON PAGODA ON MY WONE AS PRINCESS DR BECKY LEOGARDO HAD ALREADY VISITED THE DAY EARLIER.

I WENT AT 5 PM AND LEFT AT 9.40 PM AND IT WAS THE BEST 4.40 HOURS I EVER HAD!

I ARRIVED AT SHWEDAGON IN BROAD DAYLIGHT AS I WANTED TO TAKE PHOTOS AT VARIOUS TIMES OF THE GOLDEN STUPA AND SEE THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE PAGODAS AND SPIRES AND BUDDHAS AS THE SUN SLOWLY SET.

SHWEDAGON IS A TRULY MAGICAL EXPERIENCE AND I HOPE PRINCESS DR BECKY LEOGARDO WILL SPONSOR MY TRIP BACK HERE AGAIN AS THIS WAS ONE THE REQUESTS I PRAYED TO RUBY-EYE BUDDHA!

 I ARRIVED AT SOUTH GATE WHICH IS UNDER RENOVATION

 THE 99 OR 100 OR 108 METRE GOLDEN STUPA LOOMS ABOVE THE HILL

 ORNATE SOUTH GATE

 CUTEY, GRINNING CROCODILE FORMS THE BALUSTRADES!

 AFTER PAYING US$ 8 BUT IN LOCAL CURRENCY 8,000 KYAT, THIS IS WHAT GREETS ME AS I ENTER SHWEDAGON MAIN COMPOUND 

 BUDDHA GAVE ME BLUE SKY AND FLUFFY CLOUDS FOR MY PHOTOGRAPHY

 A MONK MEDITATES INSIDE A SHRINE WITH LIFESIZED BUDDHA STATUE AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF THESE SMALL SHRINES

 THANKS TO BUDDHA, THE SKY WAS SO BLUE AND CLOUDS SO WHITE!

 STUNNING OR WHAT

 WORSHIPPERS

 JADE BUDDHA AND THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF BUDDHA STATUES

 MONKS

 SO EASY TAKE THESE BILLION DOLLAR PICTURES

 DEEP BLUE

 LIGHT BLUE

 WHITE BLUE

 NORMAL BLUE

 CHINDIK OR GUARDIAN LIONS PROTECTING HOLY PLACES

 THESE SHRINES LINE THE BASE OF THE MAIN GOLD STUPA MADE OF SOLID GOLD AND NOT PLATED

 WASHING A BUDDHA STATUE FOR LUCK

 THE WATER IS USUALLY BOTTLED AND DRUNK

 WHITE SHRINES

 MAN MEDITATING IN FRONT OF BUDDHA

 EVERYONE CAN SEE THE TOP OF JEWEL ENCRUSTED SPIRE WITH THIS FREE TELESCOPE!

 THE TOP OF SPIRE CONTAINS A 78 CARAT DIAMOND AS WELL AS JEWELS CONTAINING PRECIOUS RUBIES, EMERALDS, SAPPHIRES AND MORE DIAMOND

 DEVOTEES DONATE GEMS FOR LUCK

 NOT ALL JEWELS WERE ACCEPTED DUE TO LIMITED SPACE!

 ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL MANMADE SIGHTS!

 BOUNTIFUL BUDDHAS

 DATO KEE HUA CHEE LOVES BUDDHA

 PERFECTION

 DATO KEE HUA CHEE

 GLORIOUS SHWEDAGON

 PRAISE BUDDHA

 BUDDHAS AND BUDDHAS

 DRIZZLING

 MAP OF PAGODA

 ONE OF 4 MAIN PAVILIONS ENCIRCLING THE GOLDEN STUPA

 INSIDE THE RECESS IS ANOTHER BUDDHA

 THE RUBY EYE BUDDHA IS SHOWN 24/7 ON SAMSUNG SCREEN AS NONE IS ALLOWED TO ENTER THIS PARTICULAR SHRINE

 I ALWAYS PRAY TO RUBY EYE BUDDHA WHO GRANTS ALL WISHES

 THE FAMOUS RUBY EYE BUDDHA

 GRANTER OF WISHES

 MONK AT PRAYER

 PRAYING AT RUBY EYE BUDDHA

 DATO KEE HUA CHEE AT ANOTHER PAVILION AS EACH HAS A SAMSUNG TV SCREEN SHOWING RUBY EYE BUDDHA

 SELFIES!

 SO SERENE AND PEACFUL

 FEEL LIKE I AM IN HEAVEN

 PEACEFUL LIFE

 REPLICA OF TOOTH OF BUDDHA

 THE STUPA IS OF SOLID GOLD!

 THE GOLD ALONE IS WORTH BILLIONS BUT THE STUPA IS PRICELESS

 DATO KEE HUA CHEE AT SHWEDAGON

 BIG BELL

 VISITING PHOTO GALLERY 

 THE ORIGINAL BODHI TREE IN INDIA WHERE GAUTAMA SIDDARTHA FOUND ENLIGHTENMENT AND BECAME A BUDDHA

 THIS IS BUDDHA PASSING AWAY AND ENTERING NIRVANA

 DUSK WAS DISAPPEARING SO I CAME OUT TO TAKE SHWEDAGON AT SUNSET

 A MASSIVE BUDDHA 

 THE LIGHTS SLOWLY LIGHT UP!

 THE APEX OF THE SPIRE SHOWING THE JEWELS DONATED BY SUPPLICANTS

 RUBY EYE BUDDHA INSIDE HIS PRIVATE, CLOSED SHRINE

 PRAY TO RUBY EYE BUDDHA, MOST SACRED!

 RUBY EYE BUDDHA

 ONE OF MANY FAMOUS, SACRED BUDDHA STATUES, EACH WITH OWN NAME AND TITLE

 CELEBRATING 2,600 YEARS OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHWEDAGON!

 RARE ARIEL VIEW OF SHWEDAGON

 ONE OF 4 ENTRANCES LEADING UP THE HILL TO THE PLATFORM

 INCREDIBLE COLOURS WITH FLASH

 GLEAMING WITHOUT FLASH

 GROUP FROM THAILAND TAKING PHOTOS

 SO SURREAL

 FANTASTIC

 FABULOUS

 GLISTENING

 NO WONDER SWEDAGON IS CALLED GOLDEN STUPA

 SHWEDAGON WAS BUILT DURING THE LIFETIME OF GAUTAMA BUDDHA SO IT IS WORLD'S OLDEST BUDDHIST TEMPLE

 BACK THEN, THE ORIGINAL STUPA WAS ONLY 8 METRES

 IT ATTAINED ITS PRESENT HEIGHT OF 100 METRES AT THE END OF 18TH CENTURY BY KING HSINBYUSHIN 

AT 325 FT OR 100 METRES TODAY, SHWEDAGON IS PERFECT

 SHWEDAGON AT NIGHT

 I VISITED SHWEDAGON GALLERY TO VIEW THESE PHOTOS

 LOOK AT THE RUBIES

 DATO KEE HUA CHEE WANTS TO DONATE HIS RUBY BRACELET AND GEM STUDDED RING!

 LOOK AT DATO KEE HUA CHEE RUBY BRACELET AND GEM LADEN RING---ARE THEY WORTHY TO BE PLACED AT THE SPIRE?

 WITHOUT FLASH

 WITH FLASH

 BOTH SO NICE

 I LOVE THE  BLUE STREAK, MUST BE A MIRACLE

 NOTICE THE STREAK OF BLUE FLASH? A MIRACLE

 THE FLOOR GLISTENS LIKE A POOL AFTER THE RAIN AS JUNE IS RAINY SEASON AND RAINS EVERY DAY! 

 MONKS TEACHING USING MODERN TECHNOLOGY

 THIS WAY TO PARADISE!

 THIS WAY TO NIRVANA!