IN December 2024, around 700,000 pilgrims, including monks, nuns, and laypeople, visited the Shwedagon Pagoda in the Yangon Region to pay homage, according to U Bo Thin, a member of the Shwedagon Pagoda Board of Trustees.
On weekdays, approximately 12,000 pilgrims visit the pagoda, with numbers increasing on weekends and public holidays.
“In December, 8,504 foreign tourists visited the Shwedagon Pagoda, alongside 15,298 monks, 8,716 nuns, 310,830 men, and 354,451 women,” said U Bo Thin.
Since September 2024, the Board has been organizing the donation of gold foils to the entire pagoda. A consecration ceremony will be held at the pagoda in May 2025 once the donation process is complete.
To accommodate the growing number of visitors, the Shwedagon Pagoda has been open daily for pilgrimage from 4 am to 10 pm since 21 June 2024, allowing devotees to worship peacefully. — ASH/MKKS
