Myanmar 2001 - Golden Rock, Mon state

Golden Rock, on the summit of a 1100 m mountain, is located about 200 km east of Yangon. The Kyaiktiyo pagoda which sits on top of Golden Rock is the third most important Buddhist pilgrimage site in Myanmar, after the Shwedagon and Mahamuni pagodas. From the base of the mountain, a bus takes visitors up to the entrance from where it is another 1.2 km walk to the pagoda. The granite boulder itself sits precariously overhanging the edge of a rock ledge, and appears about to tumble down at any time into the valley below. The golden colour of the rock is due to the gold leaves pasted on it by pilgrims. Legend has it that the strand of hair enshrined in the pagoda balances the boulder and prevents it from falling over.  

Our destination seen through the spotting scope

The "bus" taking visitors up the mountain to Golden Rock

 

For the last leg of the journey, sedan chairs can take one up in comfort

No customers, so why not have a snooze!

We opted to walk up, like these two pilgrims

Young porters with man-sized loads 

Monks having their first views through a spotting scope

Stalls line the entrance selling flutes and, of all things, wooden guns!

Other stalls had traditional medicine and the familiar Tanaka wood  

Sadly, a few also offered more sinister items such as the head of a Serow 

Incredibly, there was even a bear paw!

After the depressing stalls, the welcome sight of Golden Rock 

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda on the finely-balanced Golden Rock 

Affixing gold leaves on Golden Rock as veneration for the Buddha

and doing the tourist thing

before the bumpy but happy ride down the mountain