45(^) SIGHTSYANGON
SIGHTS
YANGON
SIGHTS
earthquake damage on eight occasions.
Worse was to follow in 1768, when a quake
brought down the whole top of the zedi.
King Hsinbyushin had it rebuilt to virtually
its present height, and its current confi gura-
tion dates from that renovation.
British troops occupied the compound
for two years immediately after the First
Anglo-Burmese War in 1824. In 1852, dur-
ing the Second Anglo-Burmese War, the
British again took the paya, the soldiers pil-
laged it once more and it remained under
military control for 77 years, until 1929. In
1871 a new hti (the umbrella-like decorative
top of a stupa), provided by King Mindon
Min from Mandalay, caused considerable
head-scratching for the British, who were
not at all keen for such an association to
be made with the still-independent part of
Myanmar.
During the 20th century, the Shwedagon
Paya was the scene for much political activi-
ty during the Myanmar independence move-
ment – Aung San Suu Kyi spoke to massive
crowds here in 1988 and the temple was also
at the centre of the monks’ protests in 2007.
The huge earthquake of 1930, which totally
destroyed the Shwemawdaw in Bago, caused
only minor damage to Shwedagon. Less luck
was had the following year when the paya
suff ered from a serious fi re. After another
minor earthquake in 1970, the zedi was clad
in bamboo scaff olding, which extended be-
yond King Mindon’s 100-year-old hti, and
was refurbished.
Design
There are four covered walkways up Singut-
tara Hill to the platform on which Shwedagon
stands. The southern entrance, from Shwed-
agon Pagoda Rd, is the one that can most
properly be called the main entrance. Here,
and at the northern entrance, there are lifts
available, should you not feel fi t enough for
the stroll up the stairs. The western entrance
features a series of escalators in place of
stairs, and is the only entrance without ven-
dors. The eastern stairway has the most tra-
ditional ambience, passing adjacent kyaung
(monasteries) and vendors selling monastic
requisites, such as alms bowls and robes.
Two 30ft-high chinthe (legendary half-
lion, half-dragon guardian fi gures) loom
over the southern entrance. You must re-
move your shoes and socks as soon as you
mount the fi rst step. Like the other entranc-
es, the southern steps are lined with a series
of shops, where devotees buy fl owers – both
real and beautifully made paper ones – for
off erings. Buddha images, ceremonial paper
umbrellas, books, golden thrones, incense
sticks and antiques are also on sale. How-
ever hot it may be outside, you’ll fi nd the
walkway cool, shady and calm. It’s this quiet,
subdued atmosphere on the entrance steps
that makes the impact so great as you arrive
at the platform.
Also linked to the Shwedagon complex’s
southern gate is the Maha Wizaya Paya
(Map p 48 ; U Htaung Bo St; admission K200; h24hr).
It’s a rather plain but well-proportioned zedi
built in 1980 to commemorate the unifi ca-
tion of Theravada Buddhism in Myanmar.
The king of Nepal contributed sacred relics
for the zedi’s relic chamber and Myanmar
military strongman Ne Win had it topped
with an 11-level hti – two more levels than
the hti at Shwedagon.
You emerge from semi-gloom into a daz-
zling explosion of technicoloured glitter, for
Shwedagon is not just one huge, glowing
zedi (stupa). Around the mighty stupa clus-
ter an incredible assortment of smaller zedi,
statues, temples, shrines, images and taza-
ung (small pavilions). Somehow, the bright
gold of the main stupa makes everything
else seem brighter and larger than life.
Stupas – indeed, all Buddhist structures –
should be walked around clockwise, so
turn left at the top of the steps and, like the
crowds of locals, start strolling. During the
heat of the day, you’ll probably have to con-
fi ne yourself to the mat pathway laid around
THE LEGEND OF THE
SHWEDAGO N PAYA
Once upon a time in the land of Suvan-
nabhumi, a great king was presented
with a gift of eight strands of hair. The
bearers of these gifts, two merchant
brothers who had journeyed from
faraway lands after looking for an en-
lightened one, told King Okkalapa that
he should guard these strands well for
they were no ordinary hairs.
The king set to his task with zeal and
on the summit of a 10,000-year-old
sacred hill he enshrined the hairs in a
temple of gold, which was enclosed in
a temple of silver, then one of tin, then
copper, then lead, then marble and,
fi nally, one of plain iron-brick.