GOLDEN ROCK, MYANMAR

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda is a well-known Buddhist pilgrimage site in Mon State, Myanmar. It is a small pagoda (7.3 m (24 ft)) built on the top of a granite boulder covered with gold leaves pasted on by its male worshippers.

According to legend, the Golden Rock itself is precariously perched on a strand of Lord Buddha’s hair. The balancing rock seems to defy gravity, as it perpetually appears to be on the verge of rolling down the hill. The rock and the pagoda are at the top of Mt. Kyaiktiyo. Another legend states that a Buddhist monk impressed the celestial king with his asceticism and the celestial king used his supernatural powers to carry the rock to its current place, specifically choosing the rock for its resemblance to the monk’s head. It is the third most important Buddhist pilgrimage site in Burma after the Shwedagon Pagoda and the Mahamuni Pagoda.

Etymology
In the Mon language, the word ‘kyaik’ (ကျာ်) means “pagoda” and ‘yo’ (ယဵု) means “to carry on the hermit’s head”. The word ‘ithi’ (ဣသိ in Mon (from Pali ရိသိ, risi) means “hermit”. Thus, ‘Kyaik-htiyo’ means “pagoda upon a hermit’s head”.

Legend
The legend associated with the pagoda is that the Buddha, on one of his many visits, gave a strand of his hair to Taik Tha, a hermit. The hermit, who had tucked it in the tuft of his hair safely, in turn gave the strand to the king, with the wish that the hair be enshrined in a boulder shaped like the hermit’s head. The king had inherited supernatural powers from his father Zawgyi, a proficient alchemist), and his mother, a naga serpent dragon princess. They found the rock at the bottom of the sea. With the help of the Thagyamin, the king of Tawadeintha Heaven in Buddhist cosmology, found the perfect place at Kyaiktiyo for locating the golden rock and built a pagoda, where the strand was enshrined. It is this strand of hair that, according to the legend, prevents the rock from tumbling down the hill. The boat, which was used to transport the rock, turned into a stone. This is also worshiped by pilgrims at a location about 300 metres (980 ft) from the golden rock. It is known as the Kyaukthanban Pagoda or stupa (literal meaning: stone boat stupa).

Legends also mention that pilgrims undertaking the pilgrimage by trekking from the Kinpun base camp three times consecutively in a year will be blessed with wealth and recognition.