The gilded rock stands precariously on the mountain for thousands of years, defying all the laws of physics

Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda, also known as Golden Rock, is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in the beautiful country of Myanmar.

This place is famous for a giant gilded rock standing on the cliff. For thousands of years, the rock has remained dormant there, even though one looks at it from afar, it always feels like it is about to roll down below. It is that magic and the legend behind it that makes this place a place that attracts a lot of tourists to visit.

The gilded rock breaks all the laws of gravity

According to tourist information site Renown Travel, this huge Golden Rock is located in the mountains northeast of Yangon city (Myanmar). It is located on a steep cliff at an altitude of more than 1,000m above sea level. On the rock - about 7.5 meters high, 15.2 meters in circumference - is a small pagoda more than 7m high, called Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda or Kyaik Hti Yo Pagoda. All of them are plated with shiny gold, providing a spectacular sight rarely seen.

This seemingly golden rock is actually a granite rock covered with a layer of gold leaf

The rock was balanced on the edge of a cliff and it looked like it could fall into the valley below it at any moment. At some angles, it seems to float on the ground, the contact area is very small. Yet, for thousands of years, it has remained in place, despite the stormy winds, defying all the laws of physics.

Legend of the Golden Rock

It is not clear when this rock appeared, but locals spread the story that when the Buddha visited this area, he gave a hair relic to a hermit named Taik Tha.

Before his death, the hermit gave the hair back to King Tissa. The two gods Zawgyi and Naga helped the king find the stone in the ocean. The stone was brought up and placed at Kyaikhtiyo hill. The hair of the Buddha was stored in the stone and a small temple was built to worship the Buddha's relics.

Tourists put money under the rock to pray for luck and peace

The night scene is shimmering, fanciful

It is believed that, thanks to the Buddha's hair, the Golden Rock can stand for so many years even though it is only in contact with the mountain surface with only 78 cm2.

In fact, even scientists have no explanation for this strange phenomenon.

How to see the Golden Rock with your own eyes?

The Golden Rock and Kyaikhtiyo Pagoda are located near Kyaikto town, about 80km east of Bago city and 160km northeast of Yangon city.

To get to this place, visitors need a lot of effort, overcome difficulties in the process of moving.

The first leg of the journey is to take a bus or taxi from Yangon or Bago to Kinpun village at the foot of the mountain where the Golden Rock is located.

If you want to come here, you should bring plenty of water for the climb.

From Kinpun, visitors can sit in the back of an open truck with benches attached. Hike up the zigzag paths in the mountains over 1,000m above sea level. It is estimated that it takes about 30 minutes to reach Ya Thay Taung.

From here, it takes about 1 hour to walk to Golden Rock, along the road there are souvenir shops.

The advice is that visitors should bring plenty of water for the hike. At the entrance of the temple complex, people have to take off their shoes and socks, then continue to walk barefoot. Bring a bag to carry your shoes with you.

If you don't feel like walking, you can hire someone to drive you to the Kyaikhtiyo Golden Temple on a bamboo sedan chair.