SYMBOL  OF  STRENGTH  AND  SERENITY

The figure of a Brahama in the centre of an Archway.

          The Great Shwedagon is highly revered by all those of the Buddhist faith. It also happens to be an edifice which endows our country with an ambience of glory and nobility. Buddhists consider this Golden Pagoda a sacred memorial to the Four Buddhas who have attained enlightenment in this world, for their relics are believed to be enshrined in it.

          The first sight that greets any traveller approaching Yangon by sea or air is the Golden Shwedagon shimmering on a spur of a mountain range known locally as the Bago Yoma. It is as if the Shwedagon is greeting the traveller with the message, "This is the land of the Myanmar peoples." The magnificent superstructure towering above the copse of emerald green trees surrounding the base and showering down on them its golden sheen gives one the illusion of a large painting hung on a backdrop of white clouds and blue sky. Anyone who catches a glimpse of this scene will be overcome with a deep sense of tranquillity and contentment, and with it will come the realization that the Shwedagon epitomizes all that is Myanmar her natural environs, her culture, her traditions and of course her cheerful, warm and generous people. The great stupa enshrining the sacred strands of hairs of the Lord Gautama Buddha stands in regal splendour. The height and girth of the main structure with its cloak of shining gold signifies soaring freedom and amplitude, yet the unity of grace and form is unmistak- able. All who come to pay homage or to view it will know intuitively that the aura of peace, freedom and unity of the great Pagoda reflects the life of the Myanmar people. For them, it is not just a monument to faith, but a symbol of the Myanmar way of life. Many who have visited the Shwedagon have recorded their impressions in both prose and verse. Westerners have extolled the Shwedagon as "one of the wonders of the world"; as a " winking, twinkling wonder" and as a "shimmering pyramid of gold."

Impressions of Early Visitors of the West

         Of the many Europeans who visited ancient Myanmar, the first to record his impres- sions of the Shwedagon Pagoda was Gasparo Balbi. In early November of the Year 1583, Balbi arrived in Yangon via Dala (Twante) and climbed up to the pagoda terrace. He wrote that one could climb up two stairways consisting of ninety steps each to reach the pagoda platform; that at the top of the lower staircase were stone statues of celestial beings and a hall, gilded inside out, where Buddhist monks preached the Buddhist philosophy. He described the annual pagoda festival which is held on the Full Moon Day of Tabaung (March) of the Myanmar calendar and commemorates the enshrinement of the sacred hair relics. He wrote how it was attended by the king and his queens, sons and a multitude of people and mentioned that there was a "mart" where all manner of goods were sold. He also recorded the fact that he saw a large bell housed in a gilded hall.

          An Englishman Ralph Fitch who arrived in the country at about the same time as the Venetian Balbi, recorded his visit to the Pagoda under the heading "A Two-day Journey From Pegu To The Great Pagoda, Dagon." He wrote:-

          "About two days journey from Pegu, there is a Varelle or Pagode, which is the Pil- grimage of the Pegues. It is called Dagoune, and is of a wonderful bignesse, and all gilded from the foot to the top. And there is a house by it, wherein the Tallipoies which are their priests doe Preach... There are houses very faire for the pilgrimes to lie in; and many goodly Houses for the Tallipoise to Preach in which are full of images both men and women which are gilded all over with gold. It is the fairest place, as I suppose that is in the world; it standeth very high, and there are foure ways to it, which all along are set with trees of fruits insuch wise that a man may goe in the shade above two miles in length. And when their Feast day is, a man can hardly passe by water or land for the great press of people; for they come from all places of the Kingdome of Pegu thither at their Feast."

          Michael Symes, the British envoy who arrived in the country about two hundred years ago in April, 1795, wrote that the Shwedagon Pagoda, a noble and splendid building was situated about two and a half miles north of the town of Dagon (Yangon). He said that there were many embelishments and decorations to make the pagoda beautiful and pleasing, and that the entire platform had been paved with marble slabs. He said it was located on the highest hillock in the area and that 100 stone steps led to the top. The "hti" or tiered umbrella had been entirely gilded and the sight of it shining in the sunlight was a wonder to behold. He further said that the panoramic view of the surrounding area from the platform was breathtaking. He went on to describe how the main road from the port of Dagon to the Pagoda had been systematically built with the middle raised and the sides forming gradients so that water would drain off and not form stagnant pools. The road, he said was lined with myriad small pagodas as well as some monasteries.

          Michael Symes's successor Hiram Cox, who arrived in the country in November, 1796, also put his impressions to paper. His arrival coincided with the Shwedagon Pagoda Festival which gave him the opportunity of sitting in front of a "zayat" (rest house) at the foot of the pagoda to watch the comings and goings of the pilgrims.

          He described in his diary how a teeming crowd of both men and women came to the festival from sunrise till about 10 o' clock at night. He ex- claimed over the generosity of the people who car- ried with them many offerings. They consisted of betel nuts, wearing apparel and many other articles for the use of the monks. These, he said, were deco- ratively hung on a tree-shaped stand and borne along on the shoulders of the men for offering at the mon- astery. The apex of the stand was decorated with coloured paper folded in the shapes of elephants, crocodiles and ogres and the articles of offering were hung on the lower rungs of the stand. Government officials and people of wealth hired musicians to lead the procession and all were dressed in their best outfits. They all wore silks of local weave, silks which were considered appropriate wear for any strata of society. Cox favourably commented that all the people, high and low, appeared to behave in a manner befitting a civilized nation. He said there was no shoving or jostling nor mockery of any kind. The atmosphere was sedate but cordial according to this eye witness account.

          Hiram Cox visited the Pagoda again at dusk and to him the crowd seemed larger than in the morning and they were all proceeding to the pagoda platform, each person clutching a packet of candles for lighting.

          Lord Dalhousie, the then Governor-General of India who paid a visit in1852 commented that in comparison to all the historic monuments he had visited in India, the Shwedagon was the best with the exception of the Taj Mahal.

          Soon after the annexation of the whole of Myanmar, Russian Pali scholar Meneyev visited Yangon in February,1886 and after seeing the Shwedagon Pagoda he wrote in his diary that one could get to the foot of the pagoda by tram. He told about the varied people he met on the stairway-pig-tailed Chinese, Sikh sol- diers, English sailors and nuns. He recounted how on the pagoda platform he had fallen into conversation with three Sinhalese monks who were fluent in both English and Pali. In his view however, the fact that military fortifications had been built on the western half of the Pagoda marred the landscape.

          These are the words of acclaim of this remarkable monument by the earlier visitors from foreign parts. Other foreign visitors in the 20th century, after Myanmar had sadly fallen under British rule were equally fulsome in their praise of the Great Pagoda.

          Scott O' Connor, in his book the "Silken East" published in 1904, in writing about Myanmar said in effect that should all things pertaining to Myanmar with the exception of the Shwedagon Pagoda be destroyed, that in itself alone would be sufficient to convey the essence of the customs, traditions and philosophy of the Myanmar people to the world.

          Thomas Barber, another traveler to Myanmar authored an article in the American publication "The National Geographic", titled "Notes On Myanmar". In it, he said, should a tourist cross over from India into Myanmar, he will meet and be irresistibly charmed by the Myanmar people, and he added that the first visit to the Shwedagon Pagoda will conjure up feelings never yet experienced. He went on to say that the edifice which stood on a green and verdant hillock was the most splendid religious memorial ever to be built by Buddhists and the most highly revered of the many in Indo-China. From the artistic and architectural aspects, it was, according to Barber, work of the highest standard. The finial of the entire structure, he said, stood higher than St' Paul's Cathedral in London.If the Shwedagon ap- pears so magnificent in the eyes of strange foreigners, how much so is it in the eyes of our people for whom it is a haven of peace. For us, it has always been the personification of grace and serenity.

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A Guardian Spirit shouldering a sword.

A majestic lion.

A modern stone inscription records a contemporary deed of merit.

A close view of Myanmar architectural embellishments.

The broad and spacious open stairway flanking the roofed staircase.

Devotees ascending a broad shining stairway.

The Ascent to the Pagoda.

Escalators to carry one up to the pogoda platform.

The cool shade of a Devotional Hall.

The Vision Of Myanmar Poets And Authors

          Myanmar poets and authors, not content with paying homage in person, have at every opportunity composed prayers of devotion, extolled the Ceti's grandeur in verse, and even written lyrical romantic pledges in the name of the Great Pagoda. There are also many songs and short poems sung in praise at religious functions such as the novitiation ceremony for boys or the traditional ear-boring ceremony for girls. To cite some of the more outstanding writings: The eminent Buddhist prelate, known as the Maungdaung Sayadaw(Royal T paid homage he composed a 12-stanza incantation in Pali which can be translated thus: "I humbly pay obeisance to the sacred hair relic of the Most Noble Buddha, who as a holy hermit on the verge of attaining Nirvana, forfeited it, in order to pledge at the feet of the Buddha Dipinkara that he would instead strive for Buddha- hood." i In AD 1560, Nawadaygyi, the famed Taungoo Period poet composed the dedi- catory ode "Dagon Shin". He paid poetic homage by recounting how two mer- chant brothers Tapussa and Bhallika reverently conveyed the Lord Gautama's sacred hair relic and how they built a pagoda on Singuttara Hill to enshrine them. That from this act had miraculously arisen this marvellous gold pagoda to which he could not pay enough homage. Nawadaygyi wrote many times over of the Shwedagon in other writings dedicated to the Buddha. Another famous poet, the court minister Padetharaja in AD1751 composed a verse which began with the seven honorific titles of the Singuttara Hill. Likewise Kyeeganshingyi, Shin Nandadaza, a monk who occupies a prominent place in Myanmar's history of literature described in writing, how the people living in the vicinity of yangon regularly visited the Pagoda to pay obeisance and reaffirm the Buddha's precepts. The abbot Shin Pannawuntha of the Mingun Retreat and the Abbot of Manli Monastery Baddhanta Zawanna Mahahte in their " Dialogue on the Shwedagon Pagoda" included detailed measurements on the the diameter, circumference, the pagoda height, as well as the height, cavity and circumference of the crown- ing Umbrella. Another text in dialogue form between Kyeegan Shingyi and Kyeethai Lehtat Prelates also contains a detailed informative account of the history of the Pagoda.
-Later in the days of the last Konbaung Dynasty, poet U Min in a four-stanza verse drew an anal- ogy between the Shwedagon and the Buddha himself.
-In 1874, when Kinwun Mingyi, Chief Minister of King Mindon's court left Yangon on his way to Paris, France on a diplomatic mission, he went to the Shwedagon to pay obeisance with the ritual offering of "hsoon" (food) before he departed.~ Then as he left Yangon Harbour and headed seawards by steamship, he again paid homage with head bowed low in heartfelt rev- erence.
-In modern times, scholar Leti Pandita U Maung Gyi, in 1931 composed an ode of praise at the ceremonial raising of a newly embellished diamond bud.

          Thus the Great Shwedagon throughout its history has engendered and inspired deep reverence in the Myanmar people and will continue to do so for eons to come. Its awesome splendour and grace has been a source of solace and inspiration to schol- ars and poets and in latter days to artists and photographers as well.

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An expression of loving kindnes and compassion gives solace to the weary.

A Rahan (Full-fledged monk) comes to pay homage.

Yong and old have both relinquished the secular world.

The facade of small chambers.

Sangha on their "Hsoon" (alms food) around in the early morning.

A National Cultural Legacy

          There is no doubt that the Shwedagon Pagoda is held sacred by all Buddhists, but looked at from another perspective, it is also the treasure house of Myanmar traditional arts and crafts. The varied and skillful adornments to the Pagoda and the other structures in the whole complex bear testimony to the high standards of the Myanmar traditional crafts of blacksmithy, goldsmithy, wood-carving, stone sculpture, bronze and copper-casting, lapidary and masonry. The gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and other gems which adorn the diamond bud and the finial are priceless. And these treasures and the invaluable works of art are the sum of the goodwill, devotion and generosity of both the rulers and ruled who performed meritorious deeds throughout the ages. When the Ceti was first erected over 2,500 years ago the height of the stupa was just 66 feet. But due to repeated renovations and the overlaying with new covering of masonry and heightening of the original structure by successive donors over the years, the height of the Pagoda is now 326 feet from the base to the diamond bud. It stands on the crest of Singuttara Hill which is 190 feet above sea-level. The circumference at the base is 1,420 feet. There are 64 smaller cetis surrounding the main stupa and fairly larger ones at the archways of the four cardinal points. The entire edifice from the base to the top is gilded. In a land which is fittingly called "the Land of Pagodas" because pagodas abound, one sees all sizes and shapes, some made of bricks, stone and even sand; some dazzling white with a covering of lime, some with glass mosaic and some with gold depending on the size of the purse of the donors. These coverings are referred to as the robes of the pagoda. There are many historic temples and pagodas across the length and breadth of Myanmar, some of world fame, but the Shwedagon Pagoda stands supreme. The annual Shwedagon Pagoda Festival is held on the Full Moon Day of Dabaung of the Myanmar Year. It is a day teeming with devotees all clad in their very best, come to pay obeisance. Nowadays, Buddhist monk and laity alike from India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos and Korea come to pay homage and tourists to marvel at the Ceti of gold. When Myanmar monarchs still ruled the northern part of the land in the past 300 years or more, they frequently came to Yangon with a large entourage to hoist a new umbrella, which is an implicit statement that they still exercised dominion over the land though physically, it be in other hands.  They remained the true trustees of the pagoda who were willing and able to pay for repair to major damages caused by earthquakes or other natural disasters. After AD 500, many foreigners arrived on the scene to try to gain a foothold for purposes of colonization which finally led to the Anglo-Myanmar Wars with the British that led to a dark chapter in our history.

          The Shwedagon Pagoda played a significant role in these events. The location of the pagoda precincts straddled a strategic point for military opera- tions and thus the Pagoda became a battleground during the First and Second Anglo-Myanmar Wars. During the First Anglo-Myanmar War of 1824, the Britsh troops took possession and occupied the Shwedagon Pagoda and entrenching themselves managed to gain tactical advantage. During the following six months many skirmishes with the Myanmar troops took place in the vicinity of the Shwedagon and in the Yangon area. Famed Myanmar General Bandoola encamped north of the Pagoda and launched attacks on the British. At the conclusion of the First Anglo-Myanmar War the Shwedagon Pagoda was returned to Myanmar possession according to the terms of the Peace Treaty that was signed. But because it had suffered great damage during the war major repairs and renovation had to be done. When the Second Anglo-Myanmar War broke out in 1852, the Myanmar troops built fortifications on the Pagoda. The British troops approached the Pagoda within a hundred yards and tried to climb up the eastern stairway. Then close combat broke out between the opposing forces and though the Myanmar forces made valiant efforts, because of the dispar- ity in weapons and equipment,they were forced to relinquish their position. The British succeeded in capturing the whole of yangon after which they garrisoned troops on the Shwedagon Pagoda and allowed devotees to use only the southern staircase. Myanmar citizens began to protest the military occupation of their most sacred Pa- goda and the closure of the western entrance as early as 1909 and letters of protest were lodged directly with the British Government in England. As a result the British Garrison was moved to Mingaladon. But the western archway was reopened to the public, with a grand ceremony, only in 1930, just 18 years before independence. Myanmar's crowning glory, the Shwedagon, has suffered ravages at the hands of man and of natural disaster, such as earthquakes many times over. But there the Golden Bell stands, still supreme and serene. The Shwedagon Pagoda is the archive of Myanmar's development and history. It has witnessed Myanmar's fall to foreign hands, suffer under foreign rule and exploitation. It has watched and has been a source of moral encouragement to the Myanmar people, giving them the courage, perseverance and iron determination to unite and revolt against imperialist and fascist rule and fight for independence under its benign shade. Thus the Shwedagon has been both silent witness and judge to the fateful rise and fall and the deeds and misdeeds of the Myanmar people. It is where we seek refuge and strength in times of ad- versity. The Great Shwedagon is the very heart and soul of our country and our people.

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Worshippers offer flowers, incense, candles and cool water at a planetary post, to forestall evil and enchance good.

A Padaung lady pouring water as a ritual of purification.

A ritual ablution of the face of a Buddha image, considered a meritorious deed.

Offering of cool pure water and fresh, fragrant flowers.

A view of Shwedagon

A view of Shwedagon

The ancient architecture of the Bengali Devotional Hall.

Deed of Merit of the People

          Originally, in ancient historical times, the site of the Shwedagon was part of the Mon kingdom, but it was a centre of worship for all Buddhists. So the monarchs of Upper Myanmar, their courtiers and their people made frequent pilgrimage to pay hom age and perform deeds of merit. Mon and Myanmar monarch alike were major donors to the Pagoda.

          When the sacred umbrella donated by King Hsinbyushin came to be in need of urgent repairs, the Mons and Myanmars residing in Yangon under British Rule sent word to King Mindon in Mandalay. So a splendid new tiered umbrella was donated by King Mindon even though he himself was not permitted to take part in the hoisting ceremonies. The ordinary folks also, in their devotion and generosity donated cash, jewellery and gems and the new umbrella was installed with great rejoicing in 1872. Myanmar at the time had been split asunder as Myanmar Proper and British Burma, but the people were still one.

          The Shwedagon Ceti is where Bama, Mon, Kayin, Kayah, Rakhine, Shan and others congregate and with pure heart pay obeisance and carry out deeds of merit together. The hoisting ceremony of King Mindon's umbrella was attended by many hill peoples who had travelled all the way from their remote and mountainous regions. There is on the main pa- goda platform a ceti donated by a Kayah chieftain in 1879 and there are numerous large concrete Shan umbrellas built to provide shelter for the smaller Buddha images.

          Buddhist culture has been the unifying factor of Myanmar society. Likewise, the many historic religious monuments of our land have the cohesive force to bind the Myanmar people together. But of all these, the Great Shwedagon is the most outstanding.

          The Shwedagon is not only a vast treasure trove of our faith, culture, traditions and history, but the soaring symbol of the hopes and aspirations of the Myanmar people.

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A traditional righthand (clockwise) perambulation of the great cedi.

In search of serenity.

A night scene of Shwedagon.

One of Devotional Hall