Kyaikhtiyo (Golden Rock)

One of the wonder of the world, Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda (Golden Rock), was built in 574 B.C and is located in the small town called Kyaikhto, in the Mon State. The tradition is that after the hermit had obtained the hair from the Buddha, he was carrying it on his head inside his hair knot till he found a boulder which resembled his head, and so he built the pagoda on its enshrining the relic, substituting the boulder for his over head. The meaning of Kyaik Hti Yo in Mon language means “the pagoda carried on the hermit’s head”. Located about five hours by road from Yangon, The Golden Rock is Myanmar’s 3rd holiest shrine, behind Shwedagon Pagoda and the Maha Muni Buddha.