Myanmar 20 Bagan Shwezigon Pagoda1

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Mingalaba
Myanmar!
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Anawrahta is one of the most famous kings in
Burmese history. His life stories (legends) are a
staple of Burmese folklore and retold in popular
literature and theater. In 1057, king Anawratha
started the construction of Shwezigon Paya to
house a tooth replica of the Buddha. The stupa
became an architectural example of all later
stupas in Myanmar.
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The Shwezigon Pagoda or Shwezigon Paya is a
prototype of Burmese stupas, and consists of a
circular gold leaf-gilded stupa surrounded by
smaller temples and shrines. Construction of the
Shwezigon Pagoda began during the reign of King
Anawrahta and was completed in 1102 AD, during
the reign of King Kyansittha of the Pagan
Dynasty.
Shwezigon Pagoda
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The Burmese founded the Kingdom of Pagan in CE
849, but it was not until King Anawrahta ascended
the throne in 1044 that Pagan entered its golden
era. Perhaps Anawrahtas most famous monument is
the Shwezigon Pagoda. By the time this pagoda was
started, towards the end of his 40-year reign, a
distinctly Burmese style had evolved
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Anawrahta unified the entire Irrawaddy valley for
the first time in history, and placed peripheral
regions such as Shan States and Arakan (Northern
Rakhine) under Pagan's suzerainty. He
successfully stopped the advance of Khmer Empire
into Tenasserim coastline and into Upper Menam
valley, making Pagan one of two main kingdoms in
mainland Southeast Asia
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Anawrahta's legacy went far beyond the borders of
modern Burma. His embrace of Theravada Buddhism
and his success in stopping the advance of Khmer
Empire, a Hindu state, provided the Buddhist
school, which had been in retreat elsewhere in
South and Southeast Asia, a much needed reprieve
and a safe shelter.
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In 1056, a Mon Theravada Buddhist monk named Shin
Arahan made a fateful visit to Pagan, and
converted the king to Theravada Buddhism
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During a visit to the city one day, Buddha saw
what is known as the 'Four Sights', that is, an
old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a holy
recluse. When He saw the sights, one after
another, the realization came to Him that, 'it is
subject to age and death'. He asked, 'Where is
the realm of life in which there is neither age
nor death?' The sight of the recluse, who was
calm for having given up the craving for material
life, gave him the clue that the first step in
His search for Truth was Renunciation.
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A very common roofing style in Burmese
architecture is called pyatthat, which is a
multi-tiered and spired roof.
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The king had been dissatisfied with the enormous
power of Ari monks over the people, and
considered the monks, who ate evening meals,
drank liquor, presided over animal sacrifices,
and enjoyed a form of ius primae noctis,
depraved. In Theravada Buddhism he found a
substitute to break the power of the clergy
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Probably the most significant aspect of
Shwezigon's history is that it marked the first
royal endorsement of the 37 nat (spirits), a
central focus of Burmese religion before the
arrival of Buddhism. King Anawrahta placed 37
figures representig the nat on the lower
terraces. Eventually the nats were moved from the
terraces to a small hall southeast of the
platform called "37 Nats." This can still be
visited (when it's unlocked) and is an important
shrine for Burmese pilgrims, but the sculptures
are unfortunately not the originals. These were
swiped by a collector and are rumored to be
somewhere in Italy.
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The nats are spirits who play a significant part
in religion in Myanmar. There are 37 nats
officially in the Buddhist pantheon, but many
hundreds more, as local nature spirits, bringers
of good and bad fortune, and spirits of people
places. The 37 official nats are often depicted
in shrines around the outskirts of temples or
paya. People may say prayers, make offerings, or
make requests of a nat either personally, or
through an intermediary. Offerings might be
flowers, fruit, money, cigarettes, perfume, or
alchohol depending on the individual nat's
preferences. Some of the 37 nats are based on
historical people, others based on Hindu gods,
and, of course, there are the trickster and demon
nats.
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The Nats
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He used traditional nat spirits to attract people
to his new religion. Asked why he allowed the
nats to be placed in Buddhist temples and
pagodas, Anawrahta answered "Men will not come
for the sake of new faith. Let them come for
their old gods, and gradually they will be won
over.
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The Myanmar people usually offer flowers,
candles, incenses, umbrellas, perfumed-water etc.
to the Buddha shrines when they go to worship in
the Pagodas. But when they have special wishes to
be attained, they offer the Eugenia leaves to
Buddha, in order to obtain their wishes. Myanmar
people believe in many spiritual beings known as
Nats. These Nats can protect them as well as
assist them in many aspects of their lives. In
order to gain attention from the Nats, Eugenia
leaves together with incenses, flowers, rice,
coconut, banana, etc, are offered to the Nats.
Nat worship descended from animist traditions
that predate the arrival of Theravada Buddhism in
Myanmar.
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It was King Anawrahta of Bagan who, during his
reign from 1044 to 1077AD, officially endorsed
the coexistence of Buddhism and Nat worship,
placing images of the 36 Nat residing at nearby
Mount Popa at Shwezigon pagoda in Bagan. He added
a 37th spirit to the group named Thagyamin, based
on the Hindu spirit Indra who, according to
Buddhist beliefs, paid homage to the Buddha on
behalf of the other Hindu deities. In this way,
King Anawratha was able to sanction the worship
of spirits without removing the Buddha from his
place at the top of their pantheon.
Kelat, Red shoot Eugenia (Eugenia Oleina)
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Nats can generally be described as the powerful
spirits of people who have died particularly
violent, unjust deaths at the hands of authority
figures. The brutal nature of their deaths has
temporarily removed them from the Buddhist cycle
of death and rebirth, leaving their sometimes
angry spirits to roan the earth. Worshippers aim
to oppose their ill will, and even curry favor,
by showing devotion at home, at shrines and at
festivals throughout the country. The spirits are
thought to have the power to bestow good fortune
when placated but can also be quite malevolent
and dangerous when angered or ignored.
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In the age of Myanmar kings, there was a custom
that Eugenia leaves were carried along as symbol
of victory when warriors marched to battle
fields. In modern time, many soldiers practice
this custom. People usually welcome the soldiers
who return from front line, by giving away
Eugenia springs. School children also use Eugenia
leaves for educational success. When they go to
examination, they wear Eugenia leaves on their
hair (or) carry the leaves within their school
books, to attain special blessing in their
examinations. The Eugenia leaves are in fact a
symbol of success and conquest in the daily life
of Burmese people. So, they also name Aung
Thabyay and means victory and success.
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There are four image houses called "Kyey Gu
Taik,"each on one side of the Pagoda. In the
eastern house is the statue of Konagamana Buddha,
in the western house is the statue of Gotama
Buddha, in the northern house is the statue of
Kakusanda Buddha, and in the southern house is
the statue of Kassapa Buddha. These Buddha
statues were cast in alloy and heavily gilt.
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The king built Shwezigon to be a massive
reliquary to enshrine a collection of relics,
including the Buddha's frontal and collar bones,
a copy of the tooth relic at Kandy, Sri Lanka,
and an emerald Buddha image from China. Legend
has it that the site of Shwezigon was chosen by a
white elephant.
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The Shwezigon shrine was completed between 1086
and 1090 by King Kyanzittha (r. 1084-1113),
Anawrahtas successor. Kyanzittha was arguably
Bagans greatest king and certainly one of its
greatest builders it was under him that Bagan
became known as the "city of four million
pagodas. The Shwezigon Paya has retained to this
day the essential shape it assumed on completion
in 1090, which became the architectural prototype
for many other stupas across Myanmar.
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The Shwezigon Pagoda itself is oriented to the
east and is built of solid sandstone blocks. Its
graceful golden "bell is decorated with various
designs, encircled by several thick moldings, and
is topped with the traditional jeweled hti
(umbrella spire) to symbolize sovereignty. It is
lit up impressively at night.
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The Cinthe, a lion-like creature that guards the
entrances
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The Cinthe guards the entrances
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Text Internet Pictures Sanda Foisoreanu
Internet All  copyrights  belong to their
 respective owners Presentation Sanda
Foisoreanu
2013
Sound Hlaing Win Maung - The down