More than 730,000 devotees make a pilgrimage to Shwedagon Pagoda in January

More than 730,000 devotees make a pilgrimage to Shwedagon Pagoda in January

More than 730,000 devotees made a pilgrimage to the Shwedagon Pagoda on Siguttara Hill in January 2022, according to the Pagoda Board of Trustees. During the period, 6,637 monks, 4,598 nuns, 332,304 men, 393,924 women, 558 male foreigners, 259 female foreigners, totalling 738,283 devotees made a pilgrimage to the pagoda.

With 58,577 devotees making the pilgrimage to the pagoda, the largest number of devotees visited the pagoda on 23 January.

When the pagoda was reopened on 8 February 2021, devotees were allowed to make the pilgrimage to the pagoda three times in the morning and in the afternoon. As of 24 March, devotees were allowed to make the pilgrimage to the pagoda from 6 am to 11 am and from 1 pm to 6 pm for 3,000 pilgrims every day.

With the increasing number of pilgrims to the pagoda, it was opened to the public from 5 am to 6 pm as of 30 October. The pagoda has been open to the public from 5 am to 7 pm on weekends and public holidays since 27 November.

The pagoda board of trustees has erected notice boards for the prevention of COVID-19 in the precincts of the pagoda and taken measures to make pilgrims wear masks, get temperature tests and wash their hands, according to the pagoda board of trustees.