Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, also called Golden Rock, which is located about 160 kilometres east of Yangon, is one of the most sacred sites in all of Myanmar.
Pilgrims from all over the country visit this place to worship and add gold leaves to the rock, which is perched on the edge of a mountain and seems to defy gravity. It’s quite a spectacular sight, even for those who don’t believe in a higher power!
Throughout my trip to Myanmar, I felt a lack of interest among most travellers to visit Golden Rock. A lot of people think it might not be worth the journey just to see a rock.
Although it’s true that there isn’t anything else to see in the area, I don’t agree. The journey to the top of the mountain makes you feel as if you’re on a pilgrimage yourself. Seeing how excited the Burmese are to feel closer to Buddha offers a fascinating insight into Burmese culture.
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A Visit to Myanmar’s Sacred Golden Rock
The legend of Golden Rock
It’s said that Golden Rock has been a Buddhist place of worship for over 2.500 years. According to the legend, the rock is balanced on a strand of the Buddha’s hair, preventing it from tumbling down the hill.
The Buddha gave a strand of his hair to a hermit, who carried it into the tuft of his own hair. The hermit then gave the hair to the king with the wish that it would be enshrined in a rock that’s shaped like the hermit’s head. After finding a suitable stone at the bottom of the sea, the king, who had magical powers, brought it to Kyaiktiyo. This is where the strand was enshrined.
The ascend to the rock
Although I had heard about the rollercoaster-like ride in open trucks to reach the top of Kyaiktiyo Mountain – I didn’t expect it to be that rollercoaster-like! It’s the most uncomfortable ride I’ve ever been on to be completely honest.
We were packed like sardines on wooden benches that were so narrow that my knees were digging into the back of the person sitting in front of me. Once the truck started driving up the steep and curvy road, we started to slide along in every direction. The woman sitting next to me spilt half her coke on my lap and a kid in the front started throwing up…
You can probably imagine how happy I was once we reached the top and were able to spread our legs. Luckily the ride didn’t take that long. It took about 45 minutes (including a 15-minute break to collect donations) and it was more than worth it.
It was still a 20-minute barefooted hike before standing in front of the Golden Rock. I could feel the excitement of the Burmese who had travelled from all over the country around me. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most of them and people were taking family pictures everywhere.
Once I reached Golden Rock, I spent about two hours enjoying the peaceful and calm atmosphere of the Pagoda and observing the pilgrims applying gold leaves to the rock.
Women however are not allowed to approach the rock, as they’re not allowed in direct proximity of Buddhist monuments.
Golden Rock is a place I really, really loved to visit. It was a magical experience that I recommend to anyone with an interest in Buddhism or Burmese culture.
How to get to Golden Rock in Myanmar
The easiest way to reach Golden Rock is by bus. You can take the bus from Yangon (5 hours), Bago (3 hours), Hpa-An (3 hours) or Mawlamyine (3,5 hours).
The buses either stop at Kyaikto or Kinpun and can be arranged through your hotel. If your bus drops you off at Kyaikto, you’ll have to take a motorcycle taxi to reach Kinpun. This is the closest village to Golden Rock and the place where most hotels are situated.
It’s also possible to stay the night on top of the mountain. This can be interesting if you want to see the sunset during the summer months.
❗ Beware of the motorcycle taxi scam in Kyaikto: Motorcycles will agree on any price you say to bring you to Kinpun. Only to get you on their bike and then stop after 2 minutes, acting like there was a miscommunication. They’ll say that Kinpun is an extra 30 minutes of driving and will ask for extra money. According to what I’ve heard, you shouldn’t pay more than 1.000 Kyats (I ended up paying six times the price).
Once you’re in Kinpun, there are three ways to reach the top of the mountain:
- The open truck feels like a rollercoaster (2.000 Kyats one way);
- The truck halfway up the mountain followed by Myanmar’s first cable car;
- Hiking from Kinpun to the summit takes approximately 6 hours.
Foreign tourists must pay an entrance fee of 10.000 Kyat to visit Golden Rock.
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