The Shwezedi Monastery ( my, ရွှေစေတီကျောင်း ; ) is a famous

Theravada Buddhist ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whi ...

Sittwe Sittwe (; ; formerly Akyab) is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar (Burma). Sittwe, pronounced ''sait-tway'' in the Rakhine language, is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers empt ...

Rakhine State Rakhine State (; , , ; formerly known as Arakan State) is a state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State to the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region to the east, the Bay of Ben ...

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 Wells explai ...

. Founded in 1903, the monastery is one of the main Buddhist monasteries in the city.

Importance

Venerable

U Ottama , image = Ven.Ottama.png , caption = , birth_name = Paw Tun Aung , birth_date = 28 December 1879 1st waning of Pyatho 1241 ME , birth_place = Rupa Village, Sittwe District, Arakan Division, British Burma , death_date = 11th waning of Wag ...

was a resident of the monastery during the 1920s and 1930s. He was the first political monk in the then British Burma, helping to establish a key factor in modern Burmese politics - that of political monks. He is considered one of the national heroes of Burmese independence movement. The monastery is seen as a focal point of Burmese and Arakanese politics and the birthplace of political Buddhism in Myanmar. The monastery now runs a gratis school and an Arakanese cultural school to help the local residents. The monastery has been visited by Indian prime ministers

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

and Indira Gandhi, and in 2002 by

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (; ; born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2 ...

.Time (magazine)
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References

Buddhist temples in Rakhine State Sittwe Buddhist monasteries Monasteries in Myanmar 20th-century Buddhist temples Religious buildings and structures completed in 1903 {{Burma-struct-stub