Shwedagon paya pagoda

No visit to the Union of Myanmar is complete without a visit to the 2, years old Shwedagon Pagoda, shwedagon paya pagoda, which enshrines strands of Buddha's hair and other holy relics.

Last modified The sun was setting behind a thick layer of clouds, and when the driver let me off at the west gate it had already become dark. This is 2 of twelve articles describing my visit to Myanmar. In addition there are 7 videos and a large picture album. I walked up the steps to where foreigners usually are let in, paid the ticket, placed my sandals in a shelf, passed two clean-shaven monks in traditional robes, and entered an elevator.

Shwedagon paya pagoda

History : The history of the Shwedagon Pagoda begins with the story of two Burmese merchant brothers, Tapussa and Bhallika. On a trading expedition to India, they visited the Buddha as he sat under the bodhi tree on the 49th day after attaining Enlightenment. The brothers offered him honey cakes, and when the Buddha had eaten them, they asked for a gift from him. Buddha passed his hands over his head and produced eight hairs, which he gave to Tapussa and Bhallika. The brother journeyed back to Burma, with the sacred hairs. They gave two to the King of Atjjhatta and and two to the serpent king Jayasena. With the aid of these leaders and several nats or spirits, the brothers arrived in present day Yangon with the four remaining hairs. With the help of the King of Ulkuppa, they set out to enshrine the hairs, contained in a ruby casket, on the Singuttara hill. This was already a shrine, containing the the relics of the three previous Buddhas--the water filter of Kakusandha, the robe of Konagamana, and the staff of Kassapa. The relics were committed to a chamber, over which was built a stupa or zedi of gold. This was encased in a silver pagoda, then in a pagoda of gold and copper alloy, then in an iron pagoda, then in a marble pagoda, and then finally in a brick pagoda. That is the legend of the origins of the Shwedagon Paya.

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The sole responsibility for the content of each Tentative List lies with the State Party concerned. The publication of the Tentative Lists does not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever of the World Heritage Committee or of the World Heritage Centre or of the Secretariat of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its boundaries. The Shwedagon Pagoda, situated on Singuttara Hill in the center of Yangon Rangoon , is the most sacred Buddhist stupa in Myanmar and one of the most important religious reliquary monuments in the world. The proposed property comprises a total area of According to local chronologies dating from the14 th century CE, the Shwedagon is believed to enshrine the bodily relics of the historical Buddha, Gautama, as well as artifactual relics purported by long tradition to be associated with the three other most recent previous Buddhas of our present era kalpa. The enshrined relics include: eight strands of hair from the head of Gautama Buddha, as well as a piece of the robe believed to have belonged to Kassapa Buddha, a water filter attributed to Konagamana Buddha, and the staff of Kakusandha Buddha. The stupa's plinth is made of bricks covered with genuine gold plates and the main stupa itself is entirely covered in gold, adorned with a crowning umbrella encrusted with diamonds and other jewels.

The Shwedagon is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar, as it is believed to contain relics of the four previous Buddhas of the present kalpa. Built on the metre ft high Singuttara Hill , the m ft tall pagoda stands m ft above sea level, [note 1] and dominates the Yangon skyline. Legend holds that the Shwedagon Pagoda was constructed more than 2, years ago — while the Buddha was still alive — which would make it the oldest Buddhist stupa in the world. In so doing, they became the first lay disciples to take refuge in the teachings of the Buddha. Contemporary inscriptional evidence, the Shwedagon Pagoda Inscriptions from the reign of King Dhammazedi of Hanthawaddy r. In particular, Queen Shin Saw Pu r. By the beginning of the 16th century, Shwedagon Pagoda had become the most famous Buddhist pilgrimage site in Burma. A series of earthquakes during the following centuries caused damage. The worst damage was caused by a earthquake that brought down the top of the stupa, but King Hsinbyushin in raised it to its current height of 99 m ft without counting the height of the hti crown umbrella. A new hti was donated by King Mindon in , nearly two decades after the annexation of Lower Burma by the British.

Shwedagon paya pagoda

One of Buddhism's most sacred sites, the ft zedi stupa here is adorned with 27 metric tons of gold leaf, along with thousands of diamonds and other gems, and is believed to enshrine strands of the Gautama Buddha's hair as well as relics of three former buddhas. Four entrance stairways lead to the main terrace. Visit at dawn if you want tranquillity; otherwise, pay your respects when the golden stupa flames crimson and burnt orange in the setting sun. The following covers the history and layout of Shwedagon Paya.

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By the beginning of the 16th century, the Shwedagon Pagoda had become the most famous Buddhist pilgrimage site in Burma, and one of the most frequented pilgrimage destinations among the wider Buddhist community of South and Southeast Asia. On September 24, , 20, bhikkhus and thilashins the largest protest in 20 years marched at the Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon. Very few foreigners were around. The zedi has been through earthquakes, fires, invasions and plundering by colonial powers. Such is the potency of the Shwedagon that Myanmars generally hold it to be indestructible. Others, more precisely local worshippers, had very different entrances and several flights of stairs to walk. One thing that has stayed with you for your whole journey is the massive towering golden zedi. Larger-than-life 3D stucco depictions of the Buddha's life and practice…. The Golden Shwedagon Zedi Continuing round on the edge of the platform, you begin your circling of the Naungdawgyi Paya elder brother pagoda. From a humble beginning of 8. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Tourist Info. Tour agencies can also arrange guides; a good, regularly scheduled tour that also includes the surrounding area is offered by Khiri Travel.

A prototype of Burmese stupas , it consists of a circular gold leaf -gilded stupa surrounded by smaller temples and shrines.

Here they enshrined the eight hairs and built the first zedi in the history of Buddhism. On these platforms are located circumambulatory walkways around the hill punctuated with Buddhist monasteries and community lecture-cum-prayer halls dhammayons. Buddhistdoor Global. Also known as Royal Lake, this artificial lake built by the British as a reservoir is most attractive at sunset, when the glittering Shwedagon Paya is…. You then come to the northern directional shrine for Siddhartha Gautama , but you keep wandering around and the next thing you come to is a faithful miniature version of the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. The pagoda is said to contain eight hairs of the Buddha, a fact that only adds to its prestige. The Temple Trail. Visitor Center. Maha Wizaya Zedi 0. Waxing Day of Tabaung Darklycan is here. National Museum Yangon. At the Shwedagon can also be seen marks of conflicts and conquest Upper and Lower Myanmar in the th century, during British occupation of the hill in the 19 th to early 20 th century, and the Independence movement before and after World War II.