Visit Golden Rock Myanmar
The Golden Rock (Kyaik-htiyo or Kyaiktiyo), perched atop a cliff near Yangon, is one of the most sacred sites in Burma. The great boulder precariously balances on the edge of a cliff and is topped by a small stupa. An endless stream of pilgrims come to admire the sight and add squares of gold leaf to its surface.
History in brief
With its great weight balanced so precariously on the cliff edge, the Golden Rock is a truly extraordinary natural feature. It is little wonder it is regarded with such sacred awe. According to legend, it is kept in place by a single hair of the Buddha.
The main legend of the Golden Rock begins with a hermit bringing a hair of the Buddha to his king. The hermit instructed that his gift be enshrined under a rock shaped like the hermit’s head. (The name Kyaik-htiyo means “Pagoda on a Hermit’s Head.”)
Fortunately the king was the son of a zagwi (a hermit reborn as a powerful, magical being) and a naga (sea dragon) so he was able to find and retrieve the rock from the bottom of the ocean.
The king built a ship to carry the rock to the mountain. After the rock was in place, balanced on the hair of the Buddha, the boat turned to stone. A stone that looks a bit like a ship is enshrined in the complex.
Another legend explains that the rock actually hovers in the air above the cliff. Originally there was enough room between for a chicken to walk under it, then it sunk a bit and only a partridge could walk through, and finally only a sparrow could walk through. Today it still hovers, but the space is so narrow that it can’t be seen.
What to See around Golden Rock
The Golden Rock is a great boulder about 25 feet high, which looks like it could crash down the hill at any moment. Its area of contact with the cliff is extremely small. The gilded boulder is topped with an 18-foot tall pagoda.
The great rock suddenly and spectacularly comes into view from the steep path up the hill, and can then be approached and touched (by men only) from the shrine complex that spreads out behind it on the cliff.
The Kyaiktiyo shrine complex consists of several viewing platforms, pagodas, Buddha shrines and nat spirit shrines. Worshipers gather in the area behind the rock to pray and make offerings, and nearly all apply a square of gold leaf to the rock as an offering and act of merit.Away from the main shrine complex is a circle of eight gongs with four statues of nats and angels in the center.The views from the Golden Rock are spectacular and many visitors stay to watch the sunset.
How to get to Golden Rock ?
I’ll give you some helpful tips on how to get to the Golden Rock Pagoda and return to Yangon in one day only by the local transport means. It might not be easy but it’s not impossible. There are some articles on other blogs and wikitravel explaining how it all works but the wikitravel description is very vague, and in Myanmar, things can get mixed up very easily. I’m going to share my story here in the hope that all of you who plan to travel to the Golden Rock don’t make the same mistakes I made.
Start early in the morning and choose the RIGHT bus!
To ensure that you will be able to see the Golden Rock you must take the first bus in the morning from the main bus station in Yangon (Aug Mingalar). Me and my companions had just arrived to this station on a night bus from Bagan at around 5.30 AM and there were a lot of locals standing around and offering taxis and other services to the passengers. We were asked where we wanted to go and we replied “Golden Rock”. We also had a piece of paper with the name “Golden Rock” written in Burmese by one the locals back in Bagan. We showed it to one of the guys and he directed us to another bus which was supposed to take us to our destination. The bus was run by a local man and there were no English signs on it. We bought our tickets for 7000 MMK each (6.70 EUR/7.20 USD) and were told to wait.
It is quite difficult to get any information in Myanmar among the locals as their English is very limited. Sometimes, if you ask about something you will get the wrong information, or you will be told “yes, yes” just because they don’t want to loose a customer. Also, be careful as you might easily be overcharged.
At the station, we were told we just had to get on the bus and after we’ve gotten off, we would need to take a taxi for 2 USD and we will reach the temple. Simple as that! Unfortunately, only in theory.
There are quite many buses that operate the route towards the Golden Rock, however only A FEW of them arrive at the base – a village called Kinpun. Things get a bit complicated here. To make it simple: all the buses run from Yangon via the village of Kyaikto (don’t confuse it with the name of the Golden Rock Pagoda) either north to Kinpun or further on south-west to other cities. The best option, if you have only one day, is to take the bus that goes directly to Kinpun (you will be transported from here by a specially modified truck to the Golden Rock). Alternatively, if your bus doesn’t go to Kinpun, you can get off in Kyaikto village and take a taxi, moto-taxi or a shared taxi (which will be considerably cheaper) to Kinpun. Kyaikto village is around 14 km away from Kinpun and the ride takes around 30 minutes (depends on what vehicle you are using).
Why should visit Golden Rock ?
Golden Rock is believed to be one of the sacred religious site for Buddhist people and you are also advised to visit Golden Rock during Myanmar Overland Motorcycle Tour and Myanmar Overland Caravan Tour .
If you are planning to visit with your own vehicle through Myanmar border, We, Myanmar Border Cross Tour is proud to be your reliable local operator to make your dream journey happen and kindly advise you to read FAQS of our products before traveling to Myanmar.
