The Kaunghmudaw Pagoda ( my, ကောင်းမှုတော် ဘုရား ; Yaza Mani Sula Kaunghmudaw (); pi, Rājamaṇicūḷā) is a large Buddhist pagoda on the northwestern outskirts of

Sagaing Sagaing (, ) is the former capital of the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It is located in the Irrawaddy River, to the south-west of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river. Sagaing with numerous Buddhist monasteries is an important religious and ...

in central

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

(Burma). Modeled after the

Ruwanwelisaya The Ruwanweli Maha Seya, also known as the Mahathupa (), is a stupa (a hemispherical structure containing relics) in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Two quarts or one Dona of the Buddha's relics are enshrined in the stupa, making it the largest collecti ...

pagoda of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

, the Kaunghmudaw is known for its egg-shaped design, which stands out among more traditional-style, pyramid-shaped Burmese pagodas. The

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

's formal name ''Yaza Mani Sula'' signifies the enshrinement of

Buddhist relics Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gr ...

inside its relic chamber. But it is commonly known by its popular name, Kaunghmudaw (). It is an important pilgrimage and tourist destination in the Sagaing area.

Construction

Construction began during the reign of King

Thalun Thalun ( my, သာလွန်မင်း, ; 17 June 1584 – 27 August 1648) was the eighth king of Toungoo dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). During his 19-year reign, Thalun successfully rebuilt the war-torn country which had been under constant wa ...

on 25 April 1636 (Friday, 8th waning of Kason 998 ME). The pagoda's relic chamber was dedicated on 23 July 1636 (Wednesday, 7th waning of 2nd Waso 998).Hmannan, Vol. 3, p. 234 The pagoda was completed 12 years later on 12 May 1648 (Tuesday, 6th waning of Kason 1010) towards the end of Thalun's reign.Hmannan, Vol. 3, p. 245

Architecture

The pagoda is high and has a circumference of . The

hti HTI may refer to: * Hti, the finial ornament placed on pagodas and temples in Myanmar * HTI+, a former technician certification from CompTIA * Great Barrier Reef Airport, on Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia * Haiti, a country in the Caribbe ...

(umbrella or crowning) of the pagoda is high and weighs (3440

viss The traditional Burmese units of measurement were a system of measurement used in Myanmar (also known as Burma). According to the 2010 CIA Factbook, Myanmar is one of three countries that have not adopted the International System of Units (SI) ...

). The pagoda differs from the traditional Burmese-style pyramidal structures by having an arched image chamber in the center of its base. The chamber houses a massive seated -high

Buddha statue Much Buddhist art uses depictions of the historical Buddha, Gautama Buddha, which are known as Buddharūpa (literally, "Form of the Awakened One") in Sanskrit and Pali. These may be statues or other images such as paintings. The main figure in ...

, carved out of solid white marble. The head of the Buddha statue alone is about in diameter. It is believed that the dome was built later around the massive statue. The lowest terrace of the pagoda is decorated with 120 nats and

devas Devas may refer to: * Devas Club, a club in south London * Anthony Devas (1911–1958), British portrait painter * Charles Stanton Devas (1848–1906), political economist * Jocelyn Devas (died 1886), founder of the Devas Club * Devas (band), ...

. It is ringed by 802 stone lanterns, carved with inscriptions of Buddha's life in three languages: Burmese,

Mon Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to: Places * Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar * Mon, India, a town in Nagaland * Mon district, Nagaland * Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India * Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons * An ...

and Shan, representing the three main regions of Restored Toungoo Kingdom. The pagoda dome has been continuously painted white to signify purity, in Ceylonese tradition. According to local lore, the relic chamber of the pagoda contains the lower left tooth relic of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

, 11 hair relics, an alms bowl, statues, pagodas and other relics.

Controversy

The military government of Burma has initiated a project to paint the dome with gold paint, which has drawn criticism from some locals and other Burmese.

Notes

References

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External links