| | | Shwedagon Paya
Rangoon (Burma)
Ar Za Nir St Yangon
| | | | According to legend, Shwedagon Pagoda was built more than 2,500 years ago during the time of Lord Buddha. The two merchant brothers from then Okkalapa (now Yangon) met with Gautama Buddha shortly after he attained enlightenment, and became the first disciples of Lord Buddha. Gautama Buddha gave them eight hair relics which they brought back to their country. In Okkalapa, they built the first pagoda in the history of Buddhism, Shwedagon on the holy Singuttara Hill. Although there is no archeological evidence to support this official story, most Buddhists in Myanmar and around the world believe in this story and Shwedagon becomes one of the most important centers of Buddhism. | | Shwedagon Pagoda : Virtual tour |  | 52 sections and 3 items |
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Shwedagon Pagoda : Guide (1)
Shwedagon Pagoda : Outdoor Architecture (8)
|  | The Terrace of the Shwedagon Pagoda
Many visitors know only the main terrace. Some know the existence of the upper level above this main terrace. However, most visitors are probably ignorant of the existence of the lower level in Shwedagon Pagoda.
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|  | South Gate (1)
There are four entrances to Shwedagon pagoda that lead up a flight of covered steps to the platform on Singuttara Hill.
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|  | Eastern stairway
Eastern stairway is approached from Kandawgyi (Royal) Lake by road. There is Bahan Bazaar near the entrance of the zaungdan. Along the road leading to the entrance of the zaungdan are a number of stalls selling souvenirs.
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Shwedagon Pagoda : Place(s) of worship (36)
|  | Main Stupa
At the centre of the main platform is the main structure of the Shwedagon Pagoda. It is a massive gold covered stupa with the height of 99 meters (326 feet), and a circumference of 433 meters (1,421 feet) at the level of the main platform.
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|  | Planetary posts
The planetary posts on the terrace, indicate to the devotees where they may make their devotions and offer flowers and water.
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|  | Hall of Gold and Silver Hills
To the west of this tazaung is the Hall of Gold and Silver Hills. It was originally built by U Tin Ya and his wife Daw Nu in the style of a Chinese temple.
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|  | Rakhine Tazaung
Arakan Pavilion
The Rakhine Tazaung or Arakan Pavilion was built by two wealthy Rakhine merchants, U Ba Htaw and U Doe Aung, and has a slightly western look due to the Corinthian pillars.
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|  | Hall of Reclining Buddha
North to the Rakhine Tazaung is an 8.5 meters reclining Buddha. Buddha's head is pointing to the north, indicating he is in the state of nibbana (nirvana).
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|  | Pagoda of the Eight Weekdays
In the open area to the north west of the main stupa is a small octagonal pagoda. This is the Pagoda of the Eight Weekdays.
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|  | Maha Ganda Bell
Singu Min Bell
between 1775 and 1779
Maha Ganda Bell is known locally as the Singu Min Bell. It was donated in 1779 by King Singu (1776 - 1781), the fourth king of Konbaung Dynasty. The official Pali name of the bell is Maha Gandha, which means "Great Bell".
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|  | U Po Thaung Hall
1923
U Po Thaung was a land officer of the Rangoon Land Development Trust, and also served as a trustee of the Shwedagon Pagoda.
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|  | Hall of Great Prosperity
To the east and close to U Po Thaung's Hall is a large Hall of Great Prosperity. The hall has a 9 meter (30 feet) high seated Buddha, the largest seated Buddha image in Shwedagon.
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|  | Victory Ground
Victory Ground is one of the most sacred places in Shwedagon. The place is always packed with people who pray and wish for the success, of any kind.
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|  | Eleven Shrine Cluster
Just in front of this Victory Ground is the Eleven Shrine Cluster. This is a cluster of eleven shrines with a standing Buddha in the middle at the top of the cluster.
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|  | Chan Mah Phee's Hall
Behind the Victory Ground is a hall named Chan Mah Phee's Hall. It was built in 1898 and bears the Chinese name "Fucigong", which means "Temple of Blessing and Compassion".
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|  | Buddha's Footprint Hall
Just east of Chan Mah Phee's Hall is the Buddha's Footprint Hall. Inside the hall, there is a crowned Buddha image with a Buddha's footprint in front. This footprint is encircled and protected by a naga (serpent).
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|  | Saw Lapaw's Pagoda
1879
To the north of Wizards' Hall is the pagoda known as Saw Lapaw's Pagoda. Saw Lapaw is the chief of Kantarawaddy in the eastern Kayah (Karenni) State. The Kantarawaddy is a semiautonomous state between British Burma and the Burmese independent kingdom. He built this pagoda in 1879.
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|  | Strand Market Two Pice Hall
1914
To the east of the Maha Bodhi Temple is the Strand Market Two Pice Hall. It was named Two Pice Hall because, like the western stairway entrance hall, it was built in 1914 with the daily donation of two pices (1/32 of a rupee) by the shopkeepers from the old Strand Market in Rangoon.
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|  | Naungdawgyi Pagoda
Elder Brother Pagoda
Left of the Northern walkway, the Naungdawgyi or Elder pagoda is supposed to mark the spot where the sacred strands of the Buddha's hair were placed and washed before being enshrined in the stupa. Women are not allowed onto the Elder pagoda platform.
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|  | King Tharawaddy Min's Bell
Mahatisaddaghanta Bell
Near the Naungdawgyi Pagoda is the King Tharwaddy's Bell. Officially known as Mahatisaddaghanta Bell, this bell was the donation of King Tharwaddy of Ava (1838 - 1846) after his visit to Rangoon in 1841-1842.
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|  | Bo Bo Aung Shrine
Just at the back of the replica of hti originally donated in 1774 by King Tharyarwaddy is the Bo Bo Aung Shrine.
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|  | U Nyo Tazaung
To the right of the Tazaung of the eastern stairway is U Nyo Tazaung. The handsome hall was built in 1938, and has beautiful decorative roof and spandrels.
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|  | Hall of Carousal
Near the south east of Shwedagon main stupa is the Hall of Carousal. The carousal which is enclosed in the iron grill turns slowly.
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|  | Shwedagon Inscriptions
1485
To the north east of Naungdawgyi Pagoda, near the north east corner of Shwedagon terrace are Shwedagon Inscriptions.
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|  | Nats
The nats are spirits worshipped in Burma in conjunction with Buddhism. They are divided between the 37 Great Nats and all the rest (i.e., spirits of trees, water, etc).
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|  | Jade Buddha
Buddha statue, from a single block of jade with ruby circlet, surrounded by kyats.
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| | Shwedagon Pagoda : Hours | |
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05:00am/10:00pm
The pagoda opens at 05:00am but, technically, tourists are not allowed in till 06:30am. It is unlikely, however, that an early arriving tourist will be turned away.,
Admissions :
US$5
Ticket booths are located at the Eastern and Southern Entrances. If you enter from another direction, the ticket agents will catch up with you sooner or later and collect the fee. It is easy to avoid handing the $5 fee to the government by simply asking for or buying a used sticker from another tourist as they leave the paya then going up one of the side entrances. If you get in at 05:00am and get out by 06:00am you'll probably escape paying the fee (but risk not being allowed in). Ticket agents will sometimes quote the price in US Dollars (as per the signage) or Kyat (either at the government rate, the black-market rate, or an inflated blackmarket rate). Best to have both available and pay whatever is cheapest - no point giving the government more than you need to. Tickets are valid for one day only (not a 24 hour period) and must be retained throughout your visit. Bring some sticky tape to help keep the sticker attached to your clothing (especially if it is a hot or wet day, like 2/3 of the days in Myanmar).
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| | Shwedagon Pagoda : Visit Guide | |
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Getting there
Taxi from downtown costs 1500 kyat to 2000 kyat (expect higher starting prices, especially if it has rained or is after dark - 3000 kyat or so, feel free to haggle). Taxis are available for the return trip at the bottom of the main entrance.
Guides
Guides, official and unofficial are available for US$5 (add a $1/1000 kyat tip). The quality is variable but most guides are friendly and trying to make their way against the odds. The pagoda is vast and complex and, if you can afford the extra dollars, the company and practical information on what's going around you is well worth the expense.
Food
The closest restaurant is at the intersection of the Shwedagon Pagoda Road and U Hlaung Bo Street (at the bottom of the Southern Walkway). There are some tea shops on a small roadway that describes a semicircle just below the top of the pagoda where you can get tea and biscuits. North of the pagoda, on Inya Road and outside the Savoy, are many places to eat, including a good fast food restaurant for pizza, coffee, and sandwiches. Bring water, the heat of the sun can get to you if you visit during the daytime. No food or water is available on the platform itself but water is available on the lower reaches of the walkway.
Disabled travelers
A road on the Southern side leads halfway up the Singuttara Hill and an elevator can take you the rest of the way. Alternatively, if not in a wheelchair, head for the Western entrance from where escalators are available all the way to the top. The escalators are free for foreigners (or rather, included in the price of the ticket).
Dress code
Dress reasonably and keep your legs covered (long skirts, halfway between knee and ankle, are fine; shorts, on men or women, are not). Longyi are available at the ticket booth if you arrive overly uncovered.
Shoes
As with nearly all Buddhist monuments, footwear is not permitted. With the Shwedagon Paya, almost all visitors (and all locals) remove their footwear at the gates before even setting foot inside the complex. There are places to leave your shoes at the bottom of every walkway for a nominal fee (5 kyat) but that can be a problem if, say, you enter using the Eastern walkway and wish to leave by the Northern. Carry a plastic shopping bag, pop your shoes into that bag, and carry it around with you while on the walkways and platforms. | | Shwedagon Pagoda : Description | |
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Stairways (Zaung-dans)
Most visitors to Shwedagon Pagoda climbed up the Singuttara Hill by one of four stairways or zaungdans. Shwedagon Pagoda, like most other pagodas in Myanmar, has four stairways or zaungdans, one on each side of the pagoda (north, south, east and west). The stairway that is most used by the foreign visitors is the Southern Stairway, which ascends from the direction of the city center. The stairway starts immediately at the end of the Shwedagon Pagoda Road, which runs straight from downtown Yangon (Rangoon). Shwedagon Pagoda Road starts near Bogyoke Aung San Market, and runs north until it ends at the foot of the Shwedagon Pagoda. From here starts the Southern Stairway. The entrance of this stairway is guarded by two beautiful and equally fearful Chinthes, which are mythical creatures, or leogryph. These are giant half lion, half griffin creatures which guard most entrances to pagodas in Myanmar. Along the length of the stairway on either side are the shops that sell Buddha images, flower pots, religious charms, books on Buddhism, flowers and souvenirs. Next to the stairway is a public lift and a toilet for tourists as well as a counter for collecting tourist entrance fees of US$ 5. There is also another entrance fee collection counter at the end of the stairway.
Western Stairway can be approached from U Wisara Road (Tiger Alley). This is the longest zaungdan among the four stairways of Shwedagon. This stairway was closed for almost 80 years during British occupation. Original zaungdan was built by Ma Mya Kalay, wife of King Tharrawaddy. It was damaged during the second Anglo-Burmese War and was closed to public. It was totally destroyed by fire in 1931. An effort to rebuild the zaungdan was done by the contribution of two pice (small coins) by Buddhist shopkeepers of Theingyizay Bazaar; hence the zaungdan bears the name "Two Pice Tazaung". An escalator was installed in this stairway now. This stairway is the only stairway in Shwedagon without any shops on the way.
Northern Stairway was built by Queen Shin Saw Pu in 1460. The entrance to this stairway is guarded by two Chinthes, as well as crocodiles on each side of the stairway as borders. As usual, there are stalls on each side of the stairway. Places of interest near this stairway are the
* Martyr Hill, where the assassinated leaders of Burma, Aung San and 8 others, are buried,
* Heroic Solders' Mausoleum, in honor of all those soldiers who lost their life during the independence movement and the civil conflict,
* Thwezekan (literally means blood wash pool), a large pool which, according to popular legend, is the place where Kyansittha, the commander in chief of Bagan Army and later the popular Burmese king, washed his blood stained sword during King Anawrahta's expedition into the Mon Kingdom in Southern Burma in early 11th century.
Eastern stairway is approached from Kandawgyi (Royal) Lake by road. There is Bahan Bazaar near the entrance of the zaungdan. Along the road leading to the entrance of the zaungdan are a number of stalls selling souvenirs. On the way to the pagoda terrace, on the side of the stairway are three stones erected by Mon King Dhammazedi in 1485. Written in Burmese, Mon and Pali, the stone inscriptions, known as Dhammazedi Stones, described the history of Shwedagon from the time of Gautama Buddha to the time of King Dhammazedi. These stones have now been moved to a building in the North-East corner of the terrace.
The Terrace
Many visitors know only the main terrace. Some know the existence of the upper level above this main terrace. However, most visitors are probably ignorant of the existence of the lower level in Shwedagon Pagoda.
There are three levels of terraces in Shwedagon Pagoda. The platform most foreign visitors usually visit is the main terrace, or the middle level. This is the most visited level in Shwedagon pagoda. Most religious buildings such as shrines, stupas, Buddha images, pavilions, buildings and bells are built in this level. Visitors and worshipers pay homage to Lord Buddha and offer flower, water, incense and candle light to the pagoda at this level. The terrace was built during the 15th century by Mon kings after leveling the top of the Singuttara Hill. The terrace is 275 meters from north to south and 215 meters from east to west. The area of this terrace is 5.6 hectares (14 acres). The whole terrace is inlaid with marble slabs.
However, above this level or terrace lies another level, the upper terrace. This is the most sacred floor of the pagoda. Only males are allowed to enter this floor. Visitors wishing to enter this floor need permission from the security. All foot wear must be left behind before entering this level. This terrace is open only during 6 AM to 6 PM. As far as I know, foreigners are not allowed to enter this floor, as this is only for the purpose of religious activities such as praying and meditation. Presence of tourists would destroy the quietness and serenity of the place.
The level below the main terrace is the lower floor. There is no marble slab or any sign indicating this is the lower level. Most visitors would simply not aware the existence of this level. This is the small strip of level ground on side of the stairway on the way to the main terrace. There is a small concrete foot path on either side of the stairway around the middle. This concrete foot path circles the whole hill, forming the lower level of Shwedagon Pagoda. This is where Buddhist monasteries are situated. You can take a walk along the footpath (in bare foot) and observe the various old and new monasteries in Shwedagon. Most foreign visitors to Shwedagon never know about this and never visit this place.
Main Stupa Structure
At the centre of the main platform is the main structure of the Shwedagon Pagoda. It is a massive gold covered stupa with the height of 99 meters (326 feet), and a circumference of 433 meters (1,421 feet) at the level of the main platform. The main stupa structure is octagonal in shape and is surrounded by 64 small stupas - 8 stupas on each side (8×8). There are four large stupas at each cardinal point directly across each stairway (north, south, east and west). At each corner of these small stupas is Manoksiha (or) Manokthiha, Burmese version of sphinx with head of a guardian spirit (dewada) and two conjoint bodies of chinthe (lion). This is a mythological creature believed to guard religious structures. There are also a number of chinthes guarding the main stupa.
The complex structure of Shwedagon Pagoda can be broken down into three main parts :
* The octagonal base
* The bell shaped dome
* The conical shaped spire
The octagonal base is made up of three terraces which recede upward on each other. The first part is the square plinth which is 6.4 meter high. Above this square plinth are octagonal terraces (paccaya). The four sides at the cardinal points (north, south, east and west sides) have straight edges; while the other four sides in between them have serrated edges. Above this structure is the octagonal dais called shit-mhaung (eight edges).
The dome part of the Shwedagon Pagoda consists of many parts, among which the most prominent part is the bell or khaung-laung, above which is the inverted alms bowel (tha-beik-mhauk). The shoulder or upper part of the bell is decorated with 16 beautiful petals.
The conical shaped spire is made up of seven circular bands (phaung-yit) at the base. Above these circular bands is a structure reminiscent of the "Lotus Throne" : an upturned lotus (kya-lan) and an inverted lotus (kya-hmauk). This lotus structure usually serves as pedestal for some Buddha images. The third part is the elongated tear shaped structure, called nga-pyaw-bu or banana-bud. The top part of the spire is hti or umbrella.
The hti or umbrella of the Shwedagon Pagoda is worth mentioning. It is adorned with 5448 diamonds, and 2317 rubes, sapphires and other gems. There are 1065 golden bells in this hti. In the middle of the hti is a 76 carat diamond.
Most modern pagodas in Myanmar follow this structure and most pagodas more or less look like the Shwedagon Pagoda.
Other Structures on the Platform
The large platform that supports the great stupa contains a variety of other stupas, prayer halls, sculptures and shrines. A number of these are associated with eight "days" (Wednesday is divided into morning and afternoon), based on one's day of birth. Each has an associated planet, direction and animal sign, as shown in the table below. FYI, the Buddha was born on Wednesday morning.
One must always walk around (circumambulate) stupas clockwise, so visitors take a left from whichever entrance to the platform they've chosen. Beginning from the southern entrance, straight ahead is a large shrine to Konagamana, the second Buddha, on the south side of the main stupa's plinth. Flanking the shrine are the planetary posts for Mercury.
Continuing west around the plinth, the pilgrim passes a double-bodied lion with a man's face, a laughing necromancer with his hands on his head, and an earth goddess. At the southwestern corner of the plinth is the planetary post for Saturn.
Away from the plinth towards the southwest corner is a pavilion with 28 images representing the 28 previous Buddhas, and near the far southwestern corner is a monument with inscriptions in four languages that recounts a 1920 student rebellion against British rule.
Moving up the west side of the platform, a glass case has two figures of nat (spirits), one of which is the guardian nat of Shwedagon. Next is a prayer hall known as the Rakhaing Tazaung, which is bare inside but has fine woodcarving on its terraced roof. The next prayer hall has an 8m (24-foot) long reclining Buddha, and north of this is the Chinese Merchants' Tazaung, featuring a variety of Buddha figures.
On the west side of the plinth are figures of Mai Lamu and the king of the nat, the parents of King Ukkalapa who is said to have enshrined the Buddha hairs at Schwedagon. The large building directly west of the main stupa is the western adoration hall, built in 1841 but destroyed in the fire that swept the platform in 1931. Flanking the hall are the planetary posts for Jupiter.
Returning to the west side of the platform, directly across from the adoration hall and at the top of the western stairway is the Two Pice Tazaung. North of this is a low pavilion built by manufacturers of monastery supplies. Next is is pavilion with tall columns and a multi-roofed pavilion (pyatthat) rising from the upper roof.
Opposite this, at the northwestern corner of the plinth, is the planetary post for Yahu, a mythical Hindu planet that causes eclipses. Nearby is the Eight Day Stupa, a small stupa with a golden spire and eight niches around its base, each with a Buddha image. Between the niches are figures of animals and birds, representing the eight directions, signs, planets and days of the week.
Northwest of the stupa is the bell pavilion housing the 23-ton Maha Ganda Bell. Cast between 1775 and 1779, this great golden bell was pillaged by the British in 1825, but they dropped it into the Yangon River while trying to get it to the port. After repeated attempts to raise it, the British gave up and said the Burmese were welcome to it if they could get it out of the river. The Burmese placed logs and bamboo beneath the bell until it eventually floated to the surface.
North of the bell pavilion is a large pavilion housing a 9m-high Buddha and often used for public meetings. Behind this is a small shrine with a highly revered wonder-working Buddha image covered in gold leaf.
In an open area of the platform to the east is the star-shaped wish-fulfilling place, where there are often many devotees kneeling and praying towards the great stupa that their wishes will come true. At the far northwestern corner are two banyan trees, one of which was grown from a cutting from the Bodhi Tree in India where the Buddha wa enlightened.
On the north side of the platform is the Chinese prayer hall, with woodcarvings and Chinese dragon figures on the sides of the stupa in front of it. The adjacent pavilion is guarded by life-size figures of Indians and the next one by British lions. The significance of these figures is not clear. The crocodile-like bannister at the northern stairway dates from 1460.
Between the stairway and main stupa is a pavilion on the site where the great hti of the main stupa was placed before being raised to the top, and then the Hair Relics Well, which is said to be fed by the Ayeyarwady River. The Buddha's hairs were washed in this well before being placed in the main stupa.
On the north side of the plinth stands the northern adoration hall, featuring an image of the historical Buddha. Flanking the hall are the planetary posts for Venus. The post for the Sun is at the northeastern corner of the plinth, with the animal sign of the garuda, a bird-like creature of Hindu and Buddhist mythology.
Just northeast of the northern adoration hall is one of the most distinctive structures on the platform, a temple modeled after the Mahabodhi Temple in India. Next to this is a small gilded stupa and another two-pice tazaung, which enshrines a 200-year-old Buddha image.
The northeast corner of the platform is occupied by the golden Elder Stupa (or Naungdawgyi Stupa), built on the spot where the hair relics were placed before being enshrined in the central stupa. Women are not permitted to ascend to the Elder Stupa's platform.
South of the stupa is a pavilion dedicated to Izza-Gawna, a legendary monk who was able to replace his lost eyes with one from a goat and one from a bullock. The figure to the left of the main Buddha image has eyes of unequal sizes. In the far northeast corner of the platform is the Dhammazedi inscription from 1485, which was originally on the eastern stairway.
Heading south towards that stairway, one meets the elegant pavilion housing the Maha Titthadaganda (three-toned) Bell, which was cast in 1841 and weighs 42 tons. The bell pavilion's ceiling is made of lacquer inlaid with glass: look for red-billed green parrots hidden in the scrolling among the devas (angels).
Facing the eastern stairway is the eastern shrine hall, widely considered the most beautiful on the platform. Rebuilt after the fire of 1931, it houses an image of Kakusandha, the first Buddha. On either side are the planetary posts for the moon; adjacent to the post on the north are golden Shan umbrellas. Behind the shrine hall, up on the main stupa plinth, is a Buddha image known as the Tawa-gu, which is said to work miracles.
Next to the eastern entrance is the graceful U Nyo pavilion, with a series of woodcarved panels illustrating scenes from the life of Gautama Buddha.
A few structures south from here is a prayer post topped by a mythological hintha bird and an interesting hanging bell. Opposite these on the southeastern corner of the plinth is the planetary post for Mars.
The southeastern corner of the platform has another sacred bodhi tree and offers a good view over Yangon and across the Yangon River. This area of the platform is home to the office of the pagoda trustees, a small museum, a pavilion with fine woodcarvings, a revolving hti, and a telescope for looking at the real hti high atop the stupa. | | Shwedagon Pagoda : History | |
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Under the cool shelter of the graval roof, the pilgrim slowly ascends the stairway on the northern side of the pagoda. Stretched full length on the balustrade is the huge sculptured likeness of Nga Moe Yeik the Crocodile, an old friend. The pilgrim reaches the top of the hill where a smooth tiled platform opens out under the sky, where the great stupa stands. The pilgrim has yet to pick up the threads of the story of the two merchant brothers right there from the carving overhead.
Between the two massive pillars, a series of wood carvings hangs like a heavily embroidered drapery at a doorway. Groups of human and animal figures are surrounded by the layers of delicately chiselled flowers, leaves and foliage, which fall gracefully like folds of a scalloped edge of a window curtain.
To the right is the curving that shows a caravan of bullock carts led by two merchant brothers Sona and Uttara being stopped by a nat. He is a good nat who had been a kinsman of the brothers in their formal birth. He gaves thems the glad news of Prince Siddattha of the Sakkya clan attaining Enlightenment as the Buddha. the nat then guides them to the place where the Budha sits under the Bodhi tree.
The story then moves to a carving which shows the Buddha sitting under the Bodi tree with the merachant brothers by his side. The brothers are offering honey cakes to the Buddha, who has not got a receptable to recieve them. Since it is not ment that the Buddha should receive the gift with his bare hands, Thagyarmin came and made an offering of a bowl made of stone.
The Legend
This is the beginning of the Shwedagon pagoda. The brothers hearing the Buddha teach the Path to Cessation of Suffering, were so filled with ecstasy that they could not besr to come away, until the Buddha gave them the 8 Hair relics and an important mision for them to fulfil, namely to be instrumental in the building of the Shwedagon Pagoda.
It was a great moment, for, the Eight Hairs were to be the making of a kingdom and an ever enduring foundation of faith that would shape the destiny of a people. As the brothers took the Hairs in their hands, the Hairs shone forth in a thousand brillient hues that illumined the woodlands. The earth trembled with joy and wonder and the resounding clamour arose as the seas and oceans leapt forth in exultation. Mount Meru, the abode of Thagarmin and his nats, bowed its heads in reverence. All the nats let forth a joyous "Well done, Well done."
The Budha's parting mandate for the brothers was that the Hairs must be enshrined on a hill called Singuttara Hill, in their own native land; because it was on that hill that the possessions of the three preceeding Buddha had been enshrined.
The brothers return to Dagon (Rangoon)
The brothers tore themselves from the Buddha's presence with hands raised reverently above their heads; they walked without turning their backs until the Buddha was Buddha was well beyond their thoughts. The next thing that came to mind was that they did not have a receptable worthy of the Hair Relics. That moment Thagyarmin, realizing that no man-made thing would be good enough for the Relics, brought a casket inlaid with emeralds. The brothers joyfully placed the Hairs in it. A stand of rubies was created by Thagyarmin to receive the casket. Thagyarmin's servant Vissakamma, the architect, created a decorated pathway for the brothers' caravan of bullock carts and Thagyarmin himself guided the way as they journeyed towards the seashore where a golden ship awaited them, as arranged by the Thagyarmin. So the brothers set sail for the seaport town where King Ukkalapa had made splendid preparations to welcome the Relics.
King Ukkalapa was already beside himself with joy, even as he heard the news of the Buddha's coming forth to teach His law. Such wards as the Buddha, the Enlightened one, His Law were to him like the sweet chimes of the silver bells from a distant land. His heart was awakened as if some great potential he had built up all through his former lives had suddenly blossomed forth. King Ukkalapa realized the mission he had to fulfil. He must build a stupa worthy of enshrining the Hairs Relics. A stupa that would stand throughout the centuries, center of activities in the cause of Buddhism. From his high tower, the king looked towards the sea waiting for the ship to come. He had the road from the royal city of Dagon to the seashore decorated with banana and sugar cane stalks and flowering shrubs; and festoons of scented flowers hung overhead.
As the news of ship's coming was announced by the sounds of drums and cymbals, the king rode on his caparisoned white elephant to the seashore attended by his couriters. The king boarded the ship viewed the Hairs as they lay in the emerald casket. So great was the king's joy to see the beams of iridescent light letting forth from the relics that he desired to cut off his head to make an offering. Nothing less would do, he thought. The queen and the courtiers stayed his hand, reminding him that he had yet a greater mission to fulfil. Who else but he, agreat king could be able to discover the Singuttara Hill and enshrine the Relics ? The king, therefore made an offering of his crown studded with 16000 gems.
The next day, the king ordered the city criers to beat the drum with the proclamation that anyone who could tell where the Singuttara Hill would be richly rewarded. For seven days no one came forth to claim the reward. The king and the merchant brothers were greatly afflicted. They could not place the Hairs in any place since it would be contrary to the Buddha's word. Now they found themselves at the end of their means.
Singuttara Hill
It was an occasion for the Thagyarmin's downy couch to harden like a stone. He looked down on the human abode and knew that his help was now required. His trusty servant Vissakkama and other nats cleared the untamed jungle around the city of Dagon, so that the Singuttara Hill stood prominent for all to see.
That night the merchant brothers dreamed that they saw the Singuttara Hill. At dawn, guided by good nats, they went to the place, and sure enough they could see the hill. They joyfully sent wards to the king, who could not believe that the clearing of the jungle had been done in one night by the nats. It would take centuries if done by human hands.
The king rode his white elephant round the hill clockwise three times as a mark of reverence. He had been told by the good nats that Singuttara Hill was a distinguished hill santified by the praise of three former Buddhas. The hill had seven names; and each name bespeak of some wonder, like for instance, the abudance of grain, flowers and treasures. The most hopeful and cheering name of all says that bitter enemies chasing each other for a kill would be loving friends, once they came upon the hill, and that nothing prevails but peace and loving kindness. The personal possessions of the three former Buddhas were buried on the hill and they had to be unearthed, to be enshrined together with the hair relics of the Gotama Buddha. again it was beyond human effort. Thagyarmin did come to help but this time he could do but little.
Though Thagyarmin's lifespan runs into millions in terms of human life, he had not been around long enough to remember the three Buddhas; the only thing he could do was to make enquiries among the goodly company of nats who had come for the great occasion of the building of the stupa and paying homage to the Hair Relics. Even among nats, it was no easy thing to find someone old enough to have seen the preceeding Buddhas, and more important than that, to have remember them.
Sule Nat
Finally, Thagyarmin came upon four very ancient nats. One of them was Sule Nat whose likeness one sees on the precints of Sule Pagoda in the centre of Rangoon, a pagoda named after him. Sule Nat was a powerful ogre in the time of Kakusanna Buddha; his daily fare was a live elephant. Once hunting for his food, he came upon the Buddha, who he thought would have to do for his meal that day.
Exhausted after an uncommonly hard day hunting for an elephant, the ogre was impatient for his meal. The quiet, calm human who was in front of him would be an easy prey. But he found that he could not come within arm's length of the Buddha. The ogre found himself up against someone he could not approach, let alone overcome. Not that his adversary put up any resistance, the figure of an ascetic, clad only in his worn robes of jute, and with nothing in hand but a staff. The ogre thought that it must be some uncanny power in the staff which prevented him from coming near the Buddha. So he expressed a desire to have that staff.
The Buddha told him that he must keep five precepts for seven years if he wanted that staff. Among the five precepts was taking life from which the ogre did not have any inclination to abstain. He said seven years was too long for him to go without food. He wanted the staff, so he bargained. The Buddha did not give in too easily. it was only after a long parley of arguing and protestations, which the ogre had to bear on an empty stomach, that the Buddha agreed upon the ogre's abstinence for seven days.
The ogre kept the precepts for seven days, at the end of which he became well established in the teaching of the Buddha. His enormous fangs fell to the ground and with them his ferocity. The Buddha gave him the staff as promised, but the tamed ogre received it as a relic to be revered and not as something he could use to hunt for his food.
Yohani and other Nats
Next in seniority of age was Yohani Nat, who during the time of Konagunna Buddha was an ogre. He too was likewise tamed and he received a water dipper from the Buddha. The third one, Dekkhina Nat, was an ogre during the time of Kassapha Buddha, and he in the same manner became a devotee of Buddha. He was given the Buddha's bathrobe. The three ogres, now very good nats, commissioned the fourth nat, Hmawbi Nat, to look after the relics. So he took them and buried them on the Singuttara Hill.
All the nats and men were wonder struck by the news. Now that Thagyarmin knew where to look for the relics of the former Buddhas, he directed his nats to dig a tunnel on top of the Singuttara Hill. The tunnel was 66 feet in depth, length and breadth. The staff, the water dipper and bathrobe were discovered and brought out for nats and men to see and revere.
More rejoicing followed. It was not every day that people could see the relics of the three Buddhas in one place at the same time. Thagyarmin brought the six slabs of stone; one was of diamond color and sheen; other were of the color of the silver, pearl, gold and sapphire; they were for walling; and the last, the ruby colored one was reserved for the final touch, the closing on the top.
The creation of the pagoda
Jubilant days followed, as nats and men filled gems knee deep in the tunnel. Solid gold pillars were planted on the bed of gems; they formed a support for a gold couch. Four smaller gold couches, each with a ruby-studded couch on top, were put on it to form a base for the gold ship, which was the exact replica of the one in which the merchant brothers carried the relics.
On board the ship were four pavilions studded with rubies; and each was fitted with a tiered roof; relics of former Buddhas were placed one in each pavilion. The fourth pavilion was for the Hair Relics of the Gotama Buddha. The center piece in the fourth pavilion was the ruby casket holding the Hair Relics; it hung on a solid gold pole carried on the shoulders of the figures of the merchant brothers. Around them were gold figures of King Ukkalapa, his mother Mai Lamu, Thagyarmin, and lords and ladies of the court.
Then Thagyarmin took out the Hair Relics. That moment the Hairs rose up into the air to the height of seven times the height of a palm tree. The scintillating beams from the Hairs surpassed all the gems and jewels. Then the Hair Relics descended again on the casket. Thagyarmin reverently poured cleansing waters from the well specially dug on the Singuttara Hill.
Nats and men poured jewels into the tunnel, now the relic Chamber. Thagyarmin gave his Bejeweled crown, and queens, princes and princesses and commoners gave their jewels and ornaments. Thagyarmin had the Relic Chamber fortified on four sides with revolving swords and spears and fire wheels always in action. He placed layers of impenetrable iron meshes over the chamber. Then he closed the top with the stone slab of ruby color.
On the stone slab was laid the foundations of the stupa. The first stupa was of gold, which was enclosed by a silver one; then layer upon layer of tin, copper, lead, marble and iron were built, one swallowing the other. Lastly, the structure was superimposed by a stupa built of bricks of gold, alloy, tin, copper, iron, marble and clay, strengthened with lime, glue, mortar and plaster. The final edifice was 66 feet high.
Today, the figure of King Ukkalapa stands on the north west corner of the great pagoda; on the South West corner stand the figures of the king's parents, Thagyarmin and Mei Lamu. Their story lives in songs new and old, on stage and in films, and in the hearts of the people.
Such is the legend of Shwedagon Pagoda. The line of 32 kings continued to revered and take care of the pagoda. Then followed a period of neglect, and the shrine was almost lost among threes and bushes, until 300 B.C., the time of King Asoka. Among many good works for the cause of Buddhism that followed the Third Buddhist Council under Asoka's patronage was the clearing of the jungle and the repair of the Shwedagon Pagoda.
Then historical records began to mention the pagoda as it resumed its former eminence as a center of Buddhist activities patronized by Mon and Burmese kings. Repairs were made and original structure was raised by one king after another until it reached the present height in the time of the reigning Mon Queen Shin Saw Pu (14th century A.D.). | | Shwedagon Pagoda : More pictures | |
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