The pagoda dates back to the time of the Buddha, some 2,500 years ago. As temple legends tells, two Burmese merchants went to visit the Buddha and received eight of his hairs as relics. Though the merchants allegedly gave four hairs to regents of the different kingdoms on their way back to Myanmar, all eight hairs eventually showed up in Dagon, as the place was named then. In order to keep those eight hairs, the original Shwedagon pagoda was built...