The Golden Rock, Held by a Hair
On a mountain in Myanmar, a gilded boulder balances on the very edge of a cliff. Pilgrims say a single hair of the Buddha keeps it from falling.
What was reported
The Kyaiktiyo Pagoda is a small stupa built on top of a huge granite boulder, covered in gold leaf by pilgrims, which sits tipped over the edge of a cliff in Mon State. It looks as if it should roll off at any moment.
Legend says a hermit was given a hair of the Buddha and wanted it kept in a rock shaped like his own head. A king with supernatural powers found the boulder at the bottom of the sea and brought it here. The hair, enshrined in the stupa, is said to keep it balanced.
Explanations offered
The boulder rests on a natural ledge, its weight balanced so that it's held in place by its own mass and friction. It has survived earthquakes. It's one of the most sacred Buddhist sites in Myanmar, and only men are allowed to touch the rock.
- When
- A pilgrimage for centuries
- Where
- Kyaiktiyo, Mon State, Myanmar
- Witnesses
- Pilgrims
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
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