Uppatasanti Pagoda
| Uppātasanti Pagoda ဥပ္ပါတသန္တိစေတီတော် | |
|---|---|
 The pagoda from a distance | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Sect | Theravada Buddhism |
| Location | |
| Location | Naypyidaw |
| Country | Myanmar |
  Shown within Myanmar | |
| Geographic coordinates | 19°46′16.14″N 96°10′58.76″E / 19.7711500°N 96.1829889°E |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | State Peace and Development Council |
| Completed | March 2009 |
Uppātasanti Pagoda (ဥပ္ပါတသန္တိစေတီတော်, pronounced [ʔoʊʔpàta̰ θàɰ̃dḭ zèdìdɔ̀]; officially called ဥပ္ပါတသန္တိစေတီတော်မြတ်ကြီး, also called the "Peace Pagoda") is a prominent landmark in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar. The pagoda houses a Buddha tooth relic.[1] It is nearly a same-sized replica of Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon and stands 99 metres (325 ft) tall.[2]
History[edit]
Construction of Uppatasanti Pagoda began on 12 November 2006, with the stake-driving ceremony, and completed in March 2009, built under the guidance of Than Shwe, head of Burma's ruling State Peace and Development Council.[2] The invitation card for the stake-driving ceremony opened with a phrase "Rājaṭhānī Naypyidaw" (the royal capital).[3] The pagoda is 30 centimetres (12 in) shorter than the Shwedagon Pagoda.[4] The name "Uppātasanti" roughly translates to "protection against calamity". It is the name of a sutta prepared by a monk in the early 16th century. It is to be recited in time of crisis, especially in the face of foreign invasion.[5]
On 4 March 2009, 20 people died during a ferris wheel accident at a festival marking the pagoda's consecration.[6] The consecration of the pagoda, which involves the hoisting of the htidaw (sacred umbrella, ထီးတော် [tʰí dɔ̀]) and the seinbudaw (diamond lotus bud, စိန်ဖူးတော် [sèɪɰ̃ bú dɔ̀]), took place on 10 March 2009.[1]
Structure[edit]
The massive base of the pagoda which may be mistaken for a large hill is completely man-made. The pagoda precinct also comprises:[2]
- Maha Hsutaungpyae Buddha Image in Maha Pasadabhumi Gandhakuṭi Chamber
- Four jade Buddha images in the pagoda's hollow cave
- 108 feet high tagundaing (flagstaff)
- Bo tree Garden with Maha Bo Tree and the images of the 28 Buddhas
- Garden of 108 Bo Trees
- Mālinī Maṅgala Lake with the chamber of Shin Upagutta
- Withongama Ordination Hall (thein)
- Cetiyapala Chamber
- Sangha Yama hostels
- Sasana Maha Beikmandaw Building
- Pagoda museum
- Pitakat Building and Religious Archive
Captive white elephants[edit]
Seven captive white elephants are kept at the pagoda grounds, under the custody of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation's Forest Department.[7][8] They are kept in inhumane conditions, shackled for 22 hours a day and housed in small open-air pavilions.[9]
Gallery[edit]
-
Plaza at sunset
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Than Shwe's New Pagoda Hides More than a Buddha Relic". The Irrawaddy. March 10, 2009. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Signs of rapid development in Nay Pyi Taw". MRTV-3.
- ^ Steinberg, David (2009). Burma/Myanmar: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-19-539068-1.
- ^ "Naypyidaw's Version of Shwedagon Pagoda Nears Completion". The Irrawaddy. March 6, 2009. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
- ^ Weekly Eleven News Journal. 1 (44): 9. 16 August 2006.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "20 Reported Dead in Naypyidaw Funfair Disaster". The Irrawaddy. 2009-03-10. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
- ^ Hirschi, Eva (2019-01-19). "Improving life for Yangon's white elephants". Frontier Myanmar. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
- ^ "Status-Obsessed Myanmar Junta Chief's Reverence for White Elephants Draws Ridicule". The Irrawaddy. 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
- ^ Hirschi, Eva (2019-01-19). "Improving life for Yangon's white elephants". Frontier Myanmar. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
