What is a Pagoda? - Myanmar (Burma)

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What is a Pagoda?

A pagoda, in Southeast Asia, is cone-shaped monumental structure built in memory of Buddha. But in the Far East, a pagoda is a towerlike, multistoried structure of stone, brick, or wood, usually associated with a Buddhist temple complex. The pagoda derives from thestupa of ancient India, which was a dome-shaped commemorative monument, usually erected over the remains or relics of a holy man or king. The hemispherical domed stupa of ancient India evolved into several distinct forms in various parts of Southeast and East Asia. The finial, or decorative crowning ornament of the stupa, became more elongated and cylindrical until the stupa's upper portion took on an attenuated, towerlike appearance.

This stupa form was adopted by Buddhism as an appropriate form for a monument enshrining sacred relics and became known to Westerners as a pagoda. The Buddhist pagoda was elaborated in Tibet into a bottle-shaped form; it took pyramidal or conical designs in Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos; and in China, Korea, and Japan, it evolved into the best-known pagoda form. The latter was a tall tower consisting of the vertical repetition of a basic story unit in regularly diminishing proportions. The stories can be circular, square, or polygonal. Each story in an East Asian pagoda has its own prominent projecting roof line, and the whole structure is capped by a mast and disks. The pagoda form is intended primarily as a monument and has very little usable interior space.

Shwe Dagon Pagoda is the largest and the highest pagoda in the whole world. Buddhists believe that there are 4 Types of Pagodas.

Shwe Dagon Pagoda

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.

Pls see architechture of Shwe Dagon Pagoda.

Maha Zaydee

Maha Zaydee is one famous pagoda in Bago, the capital of second Myanmar Kingdom. It was built by King Barin Naung AD 1559. King Barin Naung is known as the one who organized the country into one from many broken up pieces. He was the king who could win both the Chinese and Thais in battles.

King Barin Naung donated gold of his body-weight to this pagoda to be built. The king enshrined many valuables in this pagoda. Inside this pagoda, he deposited images of Buddha made of ruby, emerald, saphire, amber, coral, heliotrope (bloodstone), glass, and zircon. Golden images of Gawtama Buddha's father, mother, stepmother, son,and Buddha's deciples were also included. Others are golden statutes of his 2 parents, the queen, 2 dauthers, son, and 2 grandsons in worshiping position.

Silver statutes of his family members holding candles were also deposited within this great pagoda. It took only 6 months to build. It's embrella was erected on 2nd Piatho waning day of ME-922. A garden was also built in front of Maha Zaydee and named "Tharwadeinthar", the name of the highest level of heaven. 4 large monastries were also built with 100 smaller monastries around it. The 4 main monastries were covered with gold leaves. And he finally donated copies of the Buddhist bible to monks to be resided in these monastries.