please respect Shwedagon (r)

[OKKAR66129@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 10/24/99 1:03:24 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
susuhuang@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:

<< dear soe than,
 
 roger bunn knows nothing about Shwedagon or burma. there was not 120 tons of 
 gold as he said, so foolish. many new plates on side, but very thin, many 
 new jewels and gold ring on hti from donations.
 
 i do not know how much gold used this year, but Queen Shinsawbu gilded whole 
 of Shwedagon with weight in gold, only 90 pounds!
 
 lazy people like bunn talk talk talk about burma but do not know burma 
 culture or history. know nothing and so proud about it. i am angry.
 
 susu
  >>


This person (Roger) seems not to know what is Thidingyut festival and
how important this festival is for the Buddhists. He seems to
know nothing about the religious triditions of our country or the
basic faiths of the Buddhism.

He seems to think that Shwedagon Pagoda is only the building
which is covered with golds.

For those who do not know why this Holy Shrine is very very important
for the Buddhists please see the following briefs:

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Shwedagon Pagoda was believed to be build, way back to 2500 years ago. The 
King of Okkalapa was famously to be known in building up the whole task.

       The most significant feature of Shwedagon Pagoda is consisting of 
eight genuine Sandaw ( Hairs of Head ) of the Lord Gawdama Buddha , which 
were kept , as treasures together with tremendous amount of precious stones 
and other jewellery inside the pagoda. All the more so, Shwedagon Pagoda was 
decorated with nine wonders. It is situated right on top of the "Thein 
Gottara Hill " , known as the highest hill in Yangon. The total amount of 
pure gold alone with Shwedagon can be expected as of today, nearly nine tones 
even. It was learnt that the last general renovation was done in the year 
1232 ME-1871 during the era of King Mindon.

       As has been well known, guildings including Shwehtidaw are gradually 
decaying and deteriorating due to time and weather over the period of 128 
years.

       Under the proper guidance of the State Peace and Development Council, 
All-round Perpetual renovation of Shwedagon Pagoda was successfully carried 
out, led by Secretary-1, Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt as Patron of the committee. 
Well-wishers not only Myanmar but also all over the world generously donated 
jewellery and cash for Htidaw Renovation of the Pagoda.

 

Shwedagon Pagoda 

     

       The most notable building in Yangon is the Shwedagon Pagoda, a great 
cone-shaped Buddhist monument that crowns a hill about one mile north of the 
Cantonment. The pagoda itself is a solid brick stupa (Buddhist reliquary) 
that is completely covered with gold. It rises 326 feet (99 m) on a hill 168 
feet (51 m) above the city. 
Structure 

       The perimeter of the base of the Pagoda is 1,420 fee and its height 
326 feet above the platform. The base is surrounded by 64 small pagodas with 
four larger, one in the center of each side. 

       There also are 4 sphinxes, on at each corner with 6 leogryphs, 3 on 
each side of them. Projecting beyond the base of the Pagoda, one on the cener 
of each side are Tazaungs in which are images of the Buddha and where 
offerings are made. 

       There are also figures of elephants crouching and men kneeling, and 
pedestals for offerings all around the base. In front of the 72 shrines 
surrounding the base of the Pagoda, you will find in several places images of 
lions, serpents, ogres, yogis, spirits, or Wathundari (Recording Secretary 
Angel). 

       On the wall below the first terrace of the Pagoda at the WSW and WNW 
corners, you will see embossed figures. The former represents King Okkalapa 
who first built the Pagoda. The latter is a pair of figures; the one above 
represents Sakka who assisted in foundation of the Pagoda, and the one below, 
Me Lamu, consort of Sakka and mother of Okkalapa.

Tunnels

       There are 4 entrances leading into the base of this great Shwedagon 
Pagoda. No one is sure what is inside. According to some legendary tales, 
there are flying and turning swords that never stop, which protect the pagoda 
from intruders; some says there are even underground tunnels that leads to 
Bagan and Thailand.
The 10 Parts of Shwedagon Pagoda

The Diamond Bud (Sein-phoo) 

The Vane 

The Crown (Htee) 

The Plantain Bud-Shaped Bulbous Spire (Hnet-pyaw-phu) 

The Ornamental Lotus Flower (Kyar-lan) 

The Embossed Bands (Bang-yit) 

The Inverted Bowl (Thabeik) 

The Bell (Khaung-laung-pon) 

The 3 Terraces (Pichayas) 

The Base 

Table of Contents on Each Parts 

Part  
 Diamond
   Gold
 Precious Stones 
 
Bud
 4,350 pieces

Weighing 2,000 ratis
 9,272 plates of 1 foot square

weighing 5004 ounces
 93 pieces
 
Vane
 1,090pieces

weighing 240 ratis
    1,338 pieces
 
Crown
    1,065 gold bells
 886 pieces
 

 The Gold Plating of the Pagoda 

       In order to make the gilding stand the weather, the Trustees after the 
year 1900, decided to cover the bulbous spire, called the plantain bud with 
gold plates, each plate measuring 1 foot square and weighing 5 ticals of gold 
(0.18 pound). Subscriptions were called for and the work commenced in 1903, 
when the whole plantain bud was covered. It is on record that 4 such gold 
plates were donated by the late King George, V (then Price of Wales) and 
Queen Mary when they visited Myanmar in 1906. 


Background History

       Legend has it that Tapussa and Bhallika brought the original sacred 
hairs of Buddha from India across the ocean. On their way to Myanmar, the two 
brothers were relieved of 2 hairs by the King of Ajetta, and 2 more were 
robbed by the King of Nagas, who transformed himself into the likness of a 
human being and boarded the ship at night. 

       On arrival in Myanmar, a great festival was celebrated in honour of 
the sacred hairs for several days. Sakka, Lord of the Heaven, came down to 
earth and assisted in the selection of the site; but he had to invoke the aid 
of the 4 apirits: Sule, Amyitha, Yawhani, and Dakkhina. 

       Relices of the 3 proceding Buddhas were exacavated under their 
direction in one spot, and were buried there again along with the sacred 
hairs brought by the 2 brothers. Before placing them in the vault dug on the 
hill, King Okkalapa opened the casket containing the hairs of instead of 4, 8 
hairs flew up to the height of seven palm trees emitting rays of variegated 
hues with such a dazzle that the dumb could speak, the deaf could hear, and 
the lame could walk, and a rain of jewels fell knee-deep. A golden stone slab 
was placed on top of the vault by Sakka and on it was erected a golden pagoda 
enclosed within silver, tin, copper, lead, marble, and iron brick pagodas up 
to a height of 66 feet. 

       Up to the 14th century, not much was known of the Pagoda. In AD 1372, 
Binnya U, King of Hantharwaddy (Bago) visited Yangon in state the repaired 
the Pagoda. Successive Kings of Myanmar repaired or re-gilt it till the Shwe 
Dagon reached its present size some 5 centuries ago. 

       The little town of Okkala has since grown into the city of Yangopn, 
but it has no greater glory than the gleaming golden shrine, the spire of 
which rises majetically into the sky as if conscious of the veneration which 
the pagoda invokes. The Shwe Dagon apparently begain to assume its importance 
as a place of religious verneation during the years of the Mon Kingdom of 
Bago roughly coinciding with the reigns of Binnya U, Binnya Dammayaza, 
Binnyaran, Binnyawaru, and Binnyagyan. But it was in the time of Queen Shin 
Sawpu that it first assumed something of its present shape and appearance. 
Shinsawpu, Queen Regnant of Hantharwaddy, during 1455-62 improved the pagoda, 
for which she built the terrace, the great balustrade and the several 
encircling walls, and dedicated a vast area of blebe lands. She gilded the 
pagoda from top to bottom with gold leaves equal to her body weight. She set 
up a town on the northwest of the pagoda in the locality now known as 
Myenigone, so that she might supervise all the works of merit at the pagoda. 
Her brother and immediate predecessor Binnyagyan had raised the pagoda to to 
a height of 302 feet. 

       King Dhamazedi, Shinsawpu?s son-in-law and successor, erected 
inscriptions relating the legend of teh foundation of the pagoda. He also 
offered a great bell said to weigh 180,000 viss (648,000 lb) of bronze, which 
the Poruguese adventurer, Phillippe de Brito removed around 1608, so that he 
might cast the bronze into cannons. The great bell was named Dhamazedi Bell 
and it really is the largest bell in the whole world. But on the way to Than 
Lyin (Syriam), of which he was the lord, the boat bearing the great bell sank 
in the river. 

       The Pagoda was reverenced by Bayinnaung, his son Nandabayin, 
Anaukpetlun, Minredeippa, and Tharlun. King Alaungphayar worshipped at the 
Shwedagon and embellished it by re-gilding. Shinbyushin, King of Ava, raised 
the pagoda to its present height in 1774 and made a new crown (Htee) for it 
gilding it with his own body weight in gold. King Singu, son of Sinbyushin, 
in 1778 regilt the pagoda again, and cast a bell which weighed 55,555 viss 
(~16 tons) of bronze. It stands at the north-west corner of the pagoda 
platform. 

       After the First Anglo-Burman War of 1824, this bell was taken by the 
Prize Agents, but it sank to the bottom of the river and was refloated and 
replaced at the pagoda by the Myanmar public. King Tharrawaddy in 1841 set up 
a town on the west side of the pagoda, regilt it with 12 viss (~20 lb) of 
pure gold and cast a bell 26,000 viss (~40 tons). It stands at the north-east 
corner of the platform. 

       King Mindon, who founded Mandalay in 1857, sent down a new golden 
crown by a steamer to Yangon in October 1871, when Lower Myanmar was already 
under the British rule. In 1919 there was an earthquake and the Trustees 
repaired the diamond bud, and vane and replaced them in two years later at a 
cost of a million rupees. 

       The pagoda has stood ravages of time and the inclemencies of teh 
weather, having been afflicted with earthquakes on no less than 8 times in 
1564, 1628, 1649, 1661, 1664, 1769, 1888, and 1919, and with a serious fire 
in 1931. It still looks sombre and majestic and perhaps you will agree with 
Ralph Fitch, who says "It is the fairest place, as I suppose, that is in the 
world." 

for more information such as donations, photos and etc. please browse at"

"http://www.myanmar.com/shwedagon/index.html";
 
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