Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon

The Shwedagon Pagoda, officially named Shwedagon Zedi Daw (lit. 'Golden Dagon Pagoda') and also known as the Great Dagon Pagoda and the Golden Pagoda, is a gilded stupa located in Yangon, Myanmar.

The 99 m (326 ft) tall pagoda is situated on Singuttara Hill, to the west of Kandawgyi Lake, and dominates the Yangon skyline.

Shwedagon Pagoda is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar, as it is believed to contain relics of the four previous Buddhas of the present kalpa. These relics include the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Konagamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa, and eight strands of hair from the head of Gautama.

Large mythological lion (Chinthe) at the south gate of Shwedagon Pagoda.
Chinthe is the Burmese word for 'lion'.

The leograph of Chinthe is a highly stylized lion commonly depicted in Burmese iconography and architecture, especially as a pair of guardians flanking the entrances of Buddhist pagodas and kyaung (or Buddhist monasteries).
See more at Chinthe - Wikipedia.

Shwedagon Pagoda Plan.
Plan Legend:

Southern stairway
Western stairway
Northern stairway
Eastern stairway
Southern main shrine – Temple of the Konagomana Buddha
Chinese Merited Association Tazaung (Buddhist Shrine)
Hall of Golden and Silver Hills
Shrine of Sun and Moon
Commemorative Column for first Rangoon University students’ boycott
Guardian spirit of Shwedagon Pagoda
Hall of U Thin and Daw Thet Pyin
Rakhine Tazaung
Daw Pwint Tazaung
Statues of Melamu and Sakka
Koo Chein Kan and Ma Kyee Kyee Hall
Two Pice Tazaung
Main west shrine – Temple of the Kassapa Buddha
Pagoda of the Eight Weekdays
Maha Gandha Bell
U Po Thaung Hall
Shin Saw Pu Shrine
Maha Bodhi Tree
Hall of Great Prosperity
Victory Ground
Eleven – Shrine cluster
Chan Ma Phee’s Hall
Buddha’s Foot prints Hall
Zediyingana Society
Sandawdwin Pagoda
North main shrine – Temple of the Gautama Buddha
Maha Bodhi Pagoda
Hall of Wizards
Saw La Paw’s Pagoda
Strand Market Two Pice Hall
Shin Itzagawna Tazaung
Naungdawgyi Pagoda (Elder Brother Pagoda)
Maha Tissada Bell
Replica of the Hti
Bo Bo Aung Shrine
Daw Ngwe Zin’s Hall
East main shrine – Temple of the Kakusandha Buddha
Tawa Ghu Buddha
U Nyo Tazaung
Dhammazedi Stones
Hall of Carousal
Curio Museum
Shwedagon Museum

Southern Stairway (Plan No. 1).
The Southern Stairway is located on the south side of Shwedagon Pagoda.

Elevator.
The elevator is located southeast of the pagoda.

Shwedagon Pagoda.
Shwedagon Pagoda seen from the southeast.

Southern pavilion (left) and Tuesday corner (right).
Shwedagon Pagoda seen from the southeast.

The southern pavilion (left) houses Kawnagammana Buddha, the second Buddha of the present era.
Tuesday's corner (right) belongs to the planet Mars and the weekly sign of the Lion.
It is located on the southeast corner of the pagoda.
See more at Burmese zodiac, Weekdays - Wikipedia.

Tuesday corner.
The Burmese zodiac employs eight signs in a seven-day week, with each sign representing its own day, cardinal direction, planet (celestial body) and animal.

Tuesday's corner belongs to the planet Mars and the weekly sign of the Lion.
It is located on the southeast corner of the pagoda.
See more at Burmese zodiac, Weekdays - Wikipedia.

Mythological lion from the southeast corner of the pagoda (left).
Each of the four corners of the pagoda has a mythological lion (Chinthe) that protects the pagoda.

We can also see some of the small shrines that surround the pagoda.
Each one has a statue of Buddha inside.

Wednesday morning corner.
The Burmese zodiac employs eight signs in a seven-day week, with each sign representing its own day, cardinal direction, planet (celestial body) and animal.

Wednesday morning's corner belongs to the planet Mercury and the weekly sign of the Tusked elephant.
It is located on the south side of the pagoda.
See more at Burmese zodiac, Weekdays - Wikipedia.

Southern Devotional Hall (Plan No. 5).
The southern hall houses Konagamana Buddha, the second Buddha of the present era.

The hall has iron tracery in the spandrels, donated in 1957 by U Ba Yi, Land Owner, and Daw Than May and their children and grandchildren; the motif is floral but at the lower ends may be noticed the panca rupa figure, the ornamental creature of "five forms", combinig the trunk and tusks of an elephant, the horns of a fabulous animal, the legs and hooves of a horse, the wings of a bird and the tail of a carp.
The pagoda houses four Buddha statues, each one facing the cardinal direction of East, South, West and North.
It is customary to circumnavigate Buddhist stupas in a clockwise direction.
In accordance with this principle, one may begin at the eastern directional shrine, which houses a statue of Kakusandha, the first Buddha of the present era.
Next, at the southern directional shrine, is a statue of the second Buddha, Konagamana.
Next, at the western directional shrine, is that of the third Buddha, Kassapa.
Finally, at the northern directional shrine, is that of the fourth Buddha, Gautama.

Small shrines that surround the pagoda.
Each one has a statue of Buddha inside.

Jade Buddha Temple (Plan No. 6).
Buddha statue, from a single block of jade with ruby circlet, surrounded by coins.

The Jade Buddha Temple is located southwest of the pagoda.

Small shrine with Buddha protected by two snakes.

Joss paper burner.
Joss paper, also known as incense papers, are papercrafts or sheets of paper made into burnt offerings common in ancestral worship (such as the veneration of the deceased family members and relatives on holidays and special occasions).

University Boycotters' Memorial (Plan No. 9).
At the edge of the platform in the southwest corner is the University Boycotters' Memorial.

This commemorates in four languages - Myanmar, French, English and Russian - the 11 student leaders of the University Boycott which was started on 5 December 1920 in protest against the restriction provisions of the Act which established the University of Yangon.
Apart from being a place of worship and devotion, the Shwedagon also provided a safe haven for movements of dissent and protest.

Saturday corner.
The Burmese zodiac employs eight signs in a seven-day week, with each sign representing its own day, cardinal direction, planet (celestial body) and animal; it is known as the "Mahabote zodiac".

Saturday's corner belongs to the planet Saturn and the weekly sign of the Naga.
It is located in the southwest corner of the pagoda.
See more at Burmese zodiac, Weekdays - Wikipedia.

Shrine of the Guardian Spirits (Plan No. 10).
The Shrine of the Guardian Spirits is located before the Arakan Buddhist Hall (Pavilion of Rakhine Marchants) southwest of the pagoda.

It is in this shrine that the spirits (nats) that protect the site of the Shwedagon Pagoda are venerated.

Venerating or making offerings to the nat spirits.
The nats are god-like spirits venerated in Myanmar and neighbouring countries in conjunction with Buddhism.

They are divided between the 37 Great Nats who were designated that status by King Anawrahta when he formalized the official list of nats. Most of the 37 Great Nats were human beings who met violent deaths.
There are two types of nats in Burmese Belief: nat sein which are humans that were deified after their deaths and all the other nats which are spirits of nature (spirits of water, trees etc.)
See more at Nat (deity) - Wikipedia.

Arakan Buddhist Hall (Pavilion of Rakhine Marchants) (Plan No. 12).
Built by Rakhine merchants led by U Ba Htaw and U Doe Aung, Brokers.

The hall wears a slightly Western look because of the Corinthian pillars but the pyatthat roof is completely Myanmar and features beautiful wood carvings executed by Saya Khin of Mandalay.
The screen carvings of the Rakhine hall are also wonderfully elegant. From left to right they depict the Vessantara Jataka.
See more at Jataka tales - Wikipedia.

Shwedagon Pagoda gets a makeover.
Every five years or so, Shwedagon Pagoda gets a makeover and new gold plaques are added to the stupa thanks to generous donations.

Scaffolding is set up using the same century-old techniques.

Offering gold plaques.
In front of the Arakan Buddhist Hall, a platform is set up from which donors offer gold plaques.

The grantee takes a photo with the gold plaque in hand for posterity.
Then the plaque is placed inside a cart with bells hanging from it.
The cart is lifted by a system of cables and pulleys to the opening at the top of the stupa.
Finally the gold plaque is placed in its final place on the surface of the stupa.

Daw Pwint's Hall (Pavilion with reclining Buddha) (Plan No. 13).
This pavilion is located right after the Arakan Buddhist Hall (Pavilion of Rakhine Marchants).

Daw Pwint's Hall has beautiful screen carvings, the one over the entrance depicting the story of the two Shwehpyin brothers who, remiss in their duty of providing bricks for the construction of a pagoda at Taungbyon, near Mandalay by Anawrahta were executed and become nats (spirits), Great Lord (Mingyi) and Little Lord (Minglay) of Taungbyon, members of the pantheon of 37 nats, and who, pressing their suit on Me U, a maiden of the village, set a tiger on Me U, killing her, making her a nat also, Mistress of the Hill (Taungdaw Thakinma).

Western Devotional Hall (Plan No. 17).
Within the niche, the Buddha image is that of Kassapa, the third Buddha of the present world-age.

Originally, the hall here was built by U Aung Gyi and Daw Saw Nyunt in 1900 at a cost of 120,000 rupees.
But the hall was burnt in the fire of 1931, and nothing remains of it except three marble slabs recording the deed of merit in Myanmar, English, Chinese and Hindi.

Thursday corner.
The Burmese zodiac employs eight signs in a seven-day week, with each sign representing its own day, cardinal direction, planet (celestial body) and animal.

Thursday's corner belongs to the planet Jupiter and the weekly sign of the Rat.
It is located on the west side of the pagoda.
See more at Burmese zodiac, Weekdays - Wikipedia.

Koo Chein Kan and Ma Kyee Kyee Hall (Plan No. 15).
This pavilion, with many Buddha statues, is located west of the Western Devotional Hall.

Small sanctuary around the pagoda.
Each one has a statue of Buddha inside.

Wednesday afternoon corner.
The Burmese zodiac employs eight signs in a seven-day week, with each sign representing its own day, cardinal direction, planet (celestial body) and animal.

Wednesday afternoon's corner belongs to the Ascending Lunar node (Rahu) and the weekly sign of the Tuskless elephant.
It is located in the northwest corner of the pagoda.
See more at Burmese zodiac, Weekdays - Wikipedia.

Small stupa with the eight signs (Plan No. 18).
This small stupa is located northwest of the main stupa at the Ground of Success.

The Burmese zodiac employs eight signs in a seven-day week, with each sign representing its own day, cardinal direction, planet (celestial body) and animal.
See more at Burmese zodiac, Weekdays - Wikipedia.

Singu Min Bell (Plan No. 19).
Singu Min Bell was donated in 1779 by King Singu, the fourth king of Konbaung Dynasty. The official Pali name of the bell is Maha Gandha, which means "Great Sound".

The bell was cast between 1776 and 1779 and is located inside a pavilion on the northwest corner of the pagoda.
In 1825, British attempted to take it from the pagoda during the first Anglo-Burmese War. However, the ship that carried the bell to Calcutta sank in Yangon River together with the bell. After several unsuccessful attempts to salvage the bell, the British finally gave up. Then, a group of Burmese people successfully raised the bell from the riverbed and restored to its original position at the pagoda.
See more at Singu Min Bell - Wikipedia.

Northwest Bodhi Tree (Plan No. 22).

Hall of Great Prosperity (Plan No. 23).
The Hall of Great Prosperity has the largest seated image of the Buddha at the Shwedagon, 9 m (30 ft) high.

Because of its size, the hall is often used for religious ceremonies of various kinds.
Annually, on the eve of the Full Moon Day of Tazaungmon (October - November) the competition of weaving robes overnight for the images of the Buddha are held in the nearby space and the robes are ceremoniously offered on Full Moon Day.

Auspicious Ground (Point of Victory) (Plan No. 24).
Northwest of the pagoda is the Auspicious Ground (Point of Victory), marked on the sidewalk by a stylized flower with ten petals.

The white circle of the stamen - is considered an auspicious place, and devotees also gather here to offer their prayers.

Auspicious Ground Pagoda Group (left) (Plan No. 25) and Shwedagon Pagoda (center).
Cluster of eleven shrines with an image of Buddha standing at the top.

The cluster of eleven shrines with Buddha image standing on top is located in the Auspicious Ground.

Photo Gallery (Plan No. 26).
The Photo Gallery is located north of the Auspicious Ground (Point of Victory).

Small temple on the west side of the Zediyingana Society (Plan No. 28).
The Zediyingana Society is located east of the Auspicious Ground (Point of Victory).

Northern Avenue.
The Northern Avenue runs from the Northern Stairway (Plan No. 3) to the Shwedagon Pagoda.

The Buddha's foot print Pagoda (Plan No. 27) is on the right side of the photo.

Buddha's Footprint Pagoda (Plan No. 27).
Inside the hall in front of a crowned Buddha image, is the Buddha's Footprint, encircled and protected by a naga (serpent).

In much a similiar fashion, in the third week after enlightenment, the Buddha was protected by the Naga King Mucalinda when there was a great shower of rain.
The Footprint, together with the Wheel and the Bodhi Tree, was employed as an iconographic representation of the Buddha before he became represented in human form in the 1st century AD.
See more at Buddha footprint - Wikipedia.

Zediyingana Society (Plan No. 28).
Next to the Buddha's Footprint Hall is the building of the Zediyingana Society.

The building houses a collection of more than 6,000 books. Most of these books are rare texts on the Buddhist religion and culture of Myanmar.
The Zediyingana Society is one of many societies that take responsibility for maintaining pagodas in Myanmar.

Sacred Hair Relic Washing Well (Plan No. 29).
This is the site where the eight sacred hair of the Buddha were washed before they were enshrined and the pagoda built over them.

The screen carvings on the hall depict, among the foliage and the flowers, the two brothers Tapussa and Bhallika receiving the sacred hair from the Buddha.
The brick shrine built in 1879 over the well in which the sacred hairs were washed, and more recently decorated with glass mosaic work.

Northern Devotional Hall (Plan No. 30).
The Buddha image in the niche is that of Gautama, the fourth of the current world era.

The Northern Devotional Hall is the most beautiful of the four devotional halls that attracts attention.
The hall is a blessing from Sir Po Tha, whose distinguished career included service as Honorary Magistrate, Member of the Legislative Council and Trustee of the Shwedagon and the receipt of many awards culminated by knighthood in 1927.

Friday corner.
The Burmese zodiac employs eight signs in a seven-day week, with each sign representing its own day, cardinal direction, planet (celestial body) and animal.

Friday's corner belongs to the planet Venus and the weekly sign of the Guinea pig.
It is located on the north side of the pagoda.
See more at Burmese zodiac, Weekdays - Wikipedia.

Mahabodhi Temple (Plan No. 31).
A replica of the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya, the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment.

The Mahabodhi temple at the Shwedagon, which only reproduces the general form of the original and greatly varies in its details, was built by Daw Dagon Khin Khin Lay.
The grandaughter of a high official of the Court of Mandalay, Daw Dagon Khin Khin Lay began her literary career in 1917 when, at the age of 13, she wrote a prize winning short story.

Hall of Wizards (Plan No. 32).
At the entrance of the hall are two wizard figures - the Wizard of Iron on the left, the Wizard of Incantations on the right.

The wizards are those who practise the occult arts - alchemy, the casting of magic squares, etc. - with the purpose of acquiring an everyouthful and superhuman body, able to fly through the air and travel underground, and of living a life of great longevity.
See more at Weizza - Wikipedia.

Contemplating Shwedagon Pagoda from the Bo Bo Aung Shrine (Plan No. 34).
Tradition has it that Bo Bo Aung, the central figure of this popular cult, acquired an ancient manuscript on the occult arts and, putting into practice its prescriptions, acquired magical powers.

It is believed that, with his magical powers, Bo Bo Aung has been able to live a life of great longevity, that he still lives although he rarely shows himself, and that he succours those who devote themselves to the religion.
See more at Bo Bo Aung - Wikipedia.

Shin Ajagona Hall (Plan No. 35).
The story of Ajagona is that he was a monk of Bagan who studied and practised alchemy in order to obtain the philosopher's stone.

In the last stage of his effort he dipped into acid the lump of metal which had gone through a long process of refinement. But nothing happened, acknowledging his failure, the monk put out both his eyes to appease the King and the people of Bagan who had supported him in his endeavour. The lump of metal was also discarded in a latrine, but there it was suddenly transformed because the final element which had to be added was not acid but faeces. With the philosopher's stone now in his possession, the monk sent a young novice to the market to get him a pair of eyes, either those of a goat or of a bull, so that he might restore his eyesight. But the novice could get only one eye of a goat and one eye of a bull. The monk was able to restore his eyesight, but his eyes differed from each other, and he become known as Ajagona, "Ram-Bull".
Continuing, the story says that with his philosopher's stone the monk made people of Bagan prosperous, enabling them to build many pagodas.

Naungdawgyi Pagoda (Plan No. 36).
Naungdawgyi Pagoda is a smaller version of Shwedagon Pagoda.

Tradition has it that the King of Ukkalapa, who founded the Shwedagon, himself built the pagoda on the site where the sacred hairs of the Buddha were first placed on their arrival.
Another tradition has it that Tapussa, the elder of the two brothers who received the eight sacred hairs from Buddha, went once again to the Buddha and received another sacred hair which he enshrined in a pagoda close to the Shwedagon.

Dhammazedi Stone Inscription (Plan No. 44).
The first mention of the pagoda in the royal chronicles dates only to 1362/63 CE (724 ME) when King Binnya U of Martaban–Hanthawaddy raised the pagoda to 18 m (59 ft).

Contemporary inscriptional evidence, the Shwedagon Pagoda Inscriptions from the reign of King Dhammazedi of Hanthawaddy (r. 1471–1492), shows a list of repairs of the pagoda going back to 1436.

Pilgrim resting.
A pilgrim rests in the shade of one of the pavilions after a long walk barefoot.

Victory Column.
This Victory Column is located between Naungdawgyi Pagoda (Plan No. 36) and Maha Tissada Bell (Plan No. 37).

Tagundaing refers to an ornamented victory column or flagstaff, typically 18 to 24 m (60 to 80 feet), found within the grounds of Burmese Buddhist pagodas and monasteries (kyaungs).
These ornamented columns were raised within religious compounds to celebrate the submission of local animistic spirits (nats) to the Dhamma, the Buddhist doctrine and inspired by the Pillars of Ashoka.
A mythical hintha (or more rarely a kinnara) is generally found perching atop the column, while the base of the column may be decorated with Thagyamin.
Vasudhara, the earth goddess, may also be found at the base.
See more at Tagundaing - Wikipedia.

Maha Tissada Bell (Plan No. 37).
The Tharrawaddy Min Bell, also known as the Maha Tissada Gandha Bell, was donated in 1841 by King Tharrawaddy, of Konbaung Dynasty.

The official Pali name of the bell is Maha Tissada Gandha, which means "Great Three-toned Sweet Sound".
See more at Tharrawaddy Min Bell - Wikipedia.

Pilgrim praying next to the Maha Tissada Bell (Plan No. 37).

Shwedagon Pagoda seen from the northeast.

Sunday corner.
The Burmese zodiac employs eight signs in a seven-day week, with each sign representing its own day, cardinal direction, planet (celestial body) and animal.

Sunday's corner belongs to the planet Sun and the weekly sign of the Garuda.
It is located on the northeast corner of the pagoda.
See more at Burmese zodiac, Weekdays - Wikipedia.

Monday corner.
The Burmese zodiac employs eight signs in a seven-day week, with each sign representing its own day, cardinal direction, planet (celestial body) and animal.

Monday's corner belongs to the planet Moon and the weekly sign of the Tiger.
It is located on the east side of the pagoda.
See more at Burmese zodiac, Weekdays - Wikipedia.

Eastern Devotional Hall (Plan No. 41).
The original hall, built by a queen of King Tharyarwady (1838 - 1846) and renovated by U Kalagyi, Broker, in 1869, was described in 1895 as "the handsomest on the pagoda platform" and featured screen carvings depicting the previous lives of Buddha.

This hall was destroyed by the Fire of 1931, and the present hall, built by U Myaing, Land Owner, in 1939, has screen carvings with a different motif altogether - the peacock, symbol of Myanmar nationalism in the 1920's and 1930's.

Pavilion on the southeast corner of Shwedagon Pagoda.

Southeast Bodhi Tree.
The Bodhi Tree ("tree of awakening") is a large sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India.

Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher who became known as the Buddha, is said to have attained enlightenment or buddhahood circa 500 BCE under this tree.
The original tree under which Siddhartha Gautama sat is no longer living, but the term "bodhi tree" is also applied to existing sacred fig trees.
See more at Bodhi Tree - Wikipedia.