Dagon

Dagon was a settlement near the great Shwedagon Pagoda, overlooking the waterways of Lower Burma. The gilded shrine drew pilgrims and royal benefactors long before the surrounding port became a major city. In the fifteenth century Queen Shin Sawbu lived near the pagoda and supported its upkeep. Its terraces and clustered shrines formed a sacred landmark above the river country.

In 1755 King Alaungpaya captured Dagon during his campaign against Hanthawaddy and founded a riverside town called Yangon, “End of Strife”. Its port grew as a commercial centre of the Konbaung kingdom. British forces occupied Yangon during the First Anglo-Burmese War in 1824 and used the Shwedagon as a strong position. After the Treaty of Yandabo ended the war in 1826, the British withdrew and returned the town to Burmese rule.