Shwedagon

For hundreds of years the golden stupa of the Shwedagon, the pagoda enshrining the sacred hairs of the Buddha, has dominated the landscape of Rangoon. Since the 19th century, it has been the spiritual symbol of the entire Burmese nation. Everyone who has been to Myanmar has a memory of their first visit to the Shwedagon, for all born in Myanmar, the Shwedagon is a cornerstone of their life and a guardian for their future. Shwedagon provides a multi-faceted view of this magnificent Buddhist shrine. The atmosphere and vibrancy of a visit to the Shwedagon is admirably captured in a series of photographs by Hansjoerg Mayer. The texts, by archaeologist and art historian Elizabeth Moore of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and Burmese scholar U Win Pe, discuss the history and evolution of the stupa, illustrated by many evocative old pictures and plans. This is a wonderful book for travellers to Myanmar and anyone with an interest in Buddhism.