Shwedagon Pagoda Myanmar Buddhist Temple

The Shwedagon Pagoda

has a long history covering a timeframe of around two thousand years. There are always people asking where the pagoda is. Actually its quite simple, the pagoda platform is on the highest hill in Yangon Myanmar or Burma dominating the Yangon panorama.

The pagoda is one of the most venerated pagoda in the country, it’s not the tallest stupa, the tallest is the Shwemawdaw Pagoda at Bago, but it is for sure the most famous Buddha shrine in the whole Buddhist world and also one of the major tourist attraction in Myanmar together with Bagan and Mandalay.

There are some other famous pagodas such as the Shwezigon Pagoda in Bagan, Sule Pagoda in Yangon downtown and another very famous pagoda pilgrim destination is the Golden Rock Pagoda at Kyaiktiyo

in Mon State Myanmar about 200 km south east of Yangon.

Everyday Myanmar monks, nuns, novices and other people visit the platform to pray. In recent years plenty of tourist join them, below is also some history explained. Other famous Buddhist temples are located at Mandalay, Mrauk U, Bago, Sagaing opposite Mandalay, Monywa and plenty of other places in the country

Shwedagon, the “Mother of all Pagodas in Myanmar”,

towering to a height of 326 feet on Theingottara Hill is the landmark of Yangon, and dominates the shape of the city. Ralph Fitch, the first Englishman to arrive on Myanmar’s shores in 1558, wrote about this Buddhist Temple: “it is called Dagon and is of a wonderful bigness and all gilded from the foot to the top - it is the fairest place, as I suppose, that is in the world.”

Rudyard Kipling called this most famous Buddha shrine, ..”a golden mystery lofty on the horizon, a beautiful wonder that blazed in the sun, in his letters from the east published in 1889”.
In his “Gentleman in the Parlor,” (1930), Somerset Maugham, at his first sight of the Pagoda was inspired to write that this superb, glistening, golden Buddhist Temple rising superbly upwards, was like a sudden hope in the dark night of the soul. This Buddhist temple is one of the greatest cultural monuments ever erected by man.”

Shwedagon History

According to the chronicles, in 585 B.C., Tapussa and Bhallika, two Myanmar merchant - brothers went for trade to India. They were fortunate to meet Lord Buddha and received eight hair relics. They returned to Myanmar and as a gesture of welcoming the hair relics, several pagodas were built along the coastal way. These stupas are still known as San-daw-kyo Payamyar (Pagodas built as a token to welcome the hair relics) King Okkalapa himself came to welcome the hair relics. The Shwedagon Pagoda was built and the relics enshrined there, more.

During Shwedagon Pagoda construction, relics of three preceding Buddha’s (Kakusan, Konago, and Kassapa) were excavated and re-enshrined, giving the temple the name “Pagoda of Four Relics”. The pagoda was successively renovated and	Shwedagon Pagoda
rebuilt by the king of Hanthawaddy (Bago). King Binnya U raised its height to 60 feet, and in 1451 A.D. Queen Shinsawpu raised its height to 302 feet. It was also gilded with gold from top to bottom.

In 1775, the stupa was rebuilt by King Sinbyushin of Innwa, raising it to its present height, with its present form and new hti. The British forces occupied Theingottara Hill and fortified it in 1824. In 1871, King Mindon placed a new hti, vane and diamond orb on the top. Over time its this most sacred of all Myanmar shrines and the largest of its kind in the world, is always thronged with devotees, especially on holy days, when water flowers and candles are offered at the images of the Lord Buddha. All visitors are ever welcome and they should make it a ‘must’ to explore and get to know more about it.

The Shwedagon Pagoda platform

can be approached by four covered stairway or zaungdans, one from each cardinal point, and four elevators lead up the hill to the main platform. Stalls line the stairways selling offerings such as flowers, candles and gold leaves; Buddha images and statues made from wood, alabaster and ivory; Buddha shrines for the house; brass-ware, teak and ivory sculptures; gongs and cymbals. The main and the busiest entrance of the Pagoda is the southern one. An escalator is in service here and also at the northern entrance, which makes it convenient to move up to the pagoda platform to have a look for all this magnificent Buddhist temples, more.

Under the burning sun the hot marble slabs paving the platform are a problem for bare-footed visitors which finally are everyone since shoes are not allowed. Means visit the pagoda after 3pm when there is shadow around cooling the hot marble slabs.
This great Buddhist temple with the heavy gilded main stupa occupies the center. The stupa has an octagonal base with eight smaller stupas on each of its eight sides, making a total of sixty-four. Many pavilions (tazaungs), resting places (zayats), assorted images, statues, temples, shrines and smaller pagodas are grouped around the massive central stupa. Manokthihas (sphinxes) surrounded by a number of ‘chintes’ are found, one at each corner of the platform.	Shwedagon pagoda is a Buddhist Temple, here are Shwedagon Pagoda Pictures
At each cardinal point of the compass on the pagoda platform are several Buddhist temple and the eight planetary posts representing the eight days of the week (Wednesday is divided into a.m. and p.m. making it two days), each with its own planet and animal symbol. Beside each planetary post is a gilded Buddha figure made of alabaster.

Upon reaching the Buddhist temple

platform via the southern stairway, one can see the Adoration Hall or Temple of Konagamana directly facing you. Turn left and begin walking in a clockwise direction as the faithful customarily do. Just beside the temple is the planetary post for Mercury. The planetary post for Saturn comes next, on the south-western side of the stupa. On the opposite side is a pavilion containing 28 images depicting the 28 ‘avatars’ (previous incarnations of Gautama Buddha.

In the south-west corner of is a monument with inscriptions in Myanmar, English, French and Russian, commemorating the 1920 student revolt against the British colonialists, which marked the start of Myanmar’s drive for independence. Ahead on the left is the guardian Nat, Bo Bo Gyi, with the King of the Nats, Thagyamin, are encased in glass.
The Rakhine Tazaung with fine wood carvings on the tiered roof is next. In the adjacent pavilion the eight and a half meter (28-foot) Buddha reclines with head pointing north indicates the Buddha’s transition into Nirvana.

The Chinese Merchant’s Tazaung with a number of Buddha images in varying postures is next. Opposite this, under white umbrellas are the figures of Mai Lamu and Sakka (Thagyamin), the legendary parents of the founder King Okkalapa.
The landing at the top of the western staircase brings one to the Temple of Kassapa, the third Buddha, or the West Adoration Hall. Directly opposite, across the marble inlaid walkway is the Two Pice Tazaung,

The pagoda orb,

decorated and worked into solid gold are thousands of diamonds, ruby gemstones, imperial jade and other precious stones and diamond jewelry from Myanmar and elsewhere. All have been donated by Buddhist devotees.

The western stairway with 166 steps steepest of the four, was also rebuilt with this money after the 1931 fire, as was the Temple of Kassapa Buddha which had been gutted in the same conflagration.
At the platform are plenty of small monuments dedicated to different subjects such as the planetary post for Jupiter stands just beside the Kassapa Temple. A little farther on, under a white umbrella, is a figure of King Okkalapa.
The planetary post for Rahu lies in the north-west corner. Slightly to the north is a small octagonal, golden-spired pagoda, the Pagoda of the Eight Weekdays.

The 23-ton Maha Ganda Bell of the Shwedagon Pagoda cast and donated by King Singu in 1779, is housed in a pavilion close to this pagoda. In the north-west corner is a small shrine which contains more flower offerings than the others around it and has more devotees in attendance. One Buddhist temple on the platform has the Wonder Working Buddha Image, reputed to perform miracles. Two Bodhi or sacred banyan trees occupy the far north-west corner, the smaller one being a cutting of the one in Bodhgaya, India, under which Gautama Buddha gained enlightenment. The Wish Fulfilling Place of the Pagoda, ever busy with homage-paying pilgrims, is marked by a star-shaped contour. Many supplicants frequent this place to make their wish come true. Proceeding onwards one comes to a Chinese Prayer Hall with fine woodcarvings and Chinese dragon figures. Just beside this and close to the northern entrance is the Prayer Hall or Tazaung with Buddha’s footprint, inside a dragon guards the Buddha, represented as a prince. In front of him is the ‘chidawya’ (Buddha’s footprint) which has 108 sections,

Shwedagon Pagoda Hill during British times Shwedagon Pagoda Hill during British colonial times

every one of them having a special imprint. Large life-size figures of Indians stand guard outside this Tazaung.

The Zediyingana Society Library

is the building to the south, housing more than 6,000 books on religion and Myanmar culture, the majority being rare publications. This Zediyinganis one of those charged with the responsibility to maintain the place and effect whatever improvements that may be required.

The Sandawtwin Tazaung is between the library on its north and the Temple or Adoration Hall of Gautama Buddha, the forth Buddha. This Temple in located at the top landing of the northern staircase. The Sandawtwin Tazaung has underneath it, the spring where Buddha’s eight hairs were washed before enshrinement in the pagoda. Just past the Temple of Gautama Buddha stands the Planetary Post for Venus, a favorite spot for the Friday-born. Just opposite is a replica of the Mahabodi Pagoda in Bodhgaya, India, the design of which is distinctly Indian.

The Kannaze Tazaung where, it is said, King Okkalapa’s prayers for relics of the Buddha, were granted, contains a Buddha image accordingly called Sutaungpyit Buddha. Lift the stone, saying, “Let this stone feel light in my hands, if my wish is to be granted.” If it feels heavy, the supplicant has failed to obtain his / her wish. In Mandalay a great pagoda is the Mahamuni Temple or Pagoda, actually a beautiful Buddhist Shrine can be seen almost everywhere in Myanmar.

To the northeast

is the Shin Izza-Gawna Tazaung (Monk Goat-Bull’s Pavilion), the Buddha inside having eyes of unequal sizes. It is in honor of an eleven century ‘zawgyi ‘(alchemist) who succeeded in his quest for the Philosopher’s stone (mythical substance believed capable of turning base metal to gold or silver), but alas, was forced to put his eyes out because his long and expensive alchemistic experiments, sponsored by the king, had reduced the country to penury and he still had not discovered the stone.
He was successful shortly after losing his eyes and sent for a pair of either goat’s or bullock’s eyes but unfortunately only one goat’s and one bullock’s eye were obtainable, so with the aid of the Philosopher’s Stone he restored his sight with the different eyes and became known as Monk Goat-Bull. Immediately to the north is the elder Brother or Naungdawgyi Pagoda, erected on the spot where was originally kept the eight hairs of Buddha. Actually Buddha statues are around everywhere. The 42-ton Maha Tissada Bell donated by King Thayawaddy in 1841 is housed in a spired and embellished pavilion close by. Further away of the Pagoda entrance is the Planetary Post for the Sun it is located at the northeast corner of the main stupa.	Buddha Statues Shwedagon Pagoda Festival
Close to the Naungdawgyi Pagoda, right smack in the northeastern corner is the Dhammazedi inscription dating back to 1485, telling the story of the Pagoda in three languages, Pail, Mon and Myanmar. Walking onwards, one reaches the temple of the Kakusandha Buddha, opposite the eastern stairway.

The Eastern Adoration hall is regarded as the most ornate on the platform. The main figure of Kakusandha, the first Buddha and three others in this temple, have their right palms turned upward in a posture which is not the usual one. The Tawa Gu Buddha occupies a niche on the upper terrace of the main stupa, behind the Kakusandha Buddhist Temple. This statue has a reputation of being able to perform miracles and only men are allowed to climb onto the upper terrace for a fee. Here on the upper terrace, the visitor will encounter highly devout Buddhists in deep meditation. Just have a look at the Shwedagon Pagoda Pictures here.