Shwedagon Paya (Civ4)/Civilopedia

The Shwedagon Paya is one of the most sacred complexes in all of Buddhism. The story of the Shwedagon Paya is said to have begun with the Buddha himself, Siddhartha Gautama. Gautama gifted eight of his hairs to two young Burmese merchants, who carried them back to their homeland and presented them to the Burmese King, Okkalapa. When King Okkalapa opened the chest containing the hairs, trees blossomed, gems fell from the sky and beams of light shot from the hairs. These hairs were immediately enshrined and the resulting "stupa" - a Buddhist monument built for relics - would become the beginning of the Shwedagon Paya.
The Shwedagon Paya of legend was further expanded by Burmese royalty over centuries; archaeologists date the current shape of the complex to the eleventh century. Covering over 14 acres within the Burmese capital of Yangon, the centerpiece of the Shwedagon Paya is the massive central stupa. Reaching over 300 feet into the air and covered with gold and gems, the central stupa has been an important pilgrimage destination for Buddhists for hundreds of years.