U.S. Park Police work to keep people away from the area surrounding the Washington Monument after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the east coast August 23, 2011 in Washington, DC. Police officers said that unidentified material had fallen off the Washington Monument as a result of the earthquake. All the monuments and buildings along the National Mall have been evacuated and closed. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Tali Spira of Baltimore, Maryland lets the wind aid in her Flow Art style dance moves (using silk material and fans) at the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. on March 25, 2022. She danced amid the backdrop of the cherry blossom trees that were still at their peak. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

The Washington Wizards dancers strike a pose during the team’s basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Capital One Arena on November 28, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Wizards won 142-127. (Photo by Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports via Reuters)

Cheyenne Catchpole and Erica Hill kiss during the annual LGBTQ+ Capital Pride parade in Washington on June 8, 2024. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Reuters)

Fireworks are seen above the Washington Monument and the White House at the conclusion of the final day of the Republican National Convention on August 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence accepted the nomination as the Republican candidates for a second term in the White House. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

A protestor gestures toward the White House on the Ellipse near the South Lawn of the White House during the Women's March on Washington January 21, 2017 in Washington, DC. Large crowds are attending the anti-Trump rally a day after U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th U.S. president. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

A soldier makes a “heart hands” gesture from inside a tank during the parade in Washington on June 14, 2025. (Photo by Kevin Mohatt/Reuters)

Kyaiktiyo Pagoda, also known as Golden Rock is a well-known Buddhist pilgrimage site in Mon State, Burma. It is a small pagoda (7.3 metres (24 ft)) built on the top of a granite boulder covered with gold leaves pasted on by devotees. According to legend, the Golden Rock itself is precariously perched on a strand of the Buddha's hair. The balancing rock seems to defy gravity, as it perpetually appears to be on the verge of rolling down the hill. The rock and the pagoda are at the top of Mt. Kyaiktiyo. It is the third most important Buddhist pilgrimage site in Burma after the Shwedagon Pagoda and the Mahamuni Pagoda. A glimpse of the "gravity defying" Golden Rock is believed to be enough of an inspiration for any person to turn to Buddhism.