Uppatasanti Pagoda
| Uppatasanti Pagoda ဥပ္ပါတသန္တိစေတီတော် | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Uppatasanti Pagoda Location within Burma | |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Theravada Buddhism |
| Founded | March 2009 |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | State Peace and Development Council |
| Location | |
| Address | Naypyidaw |
| Country | Myanmar |
Uppatasanti Pagoda (ဥပ္ပါတသန္တိစေတီတော်, officially called ဥပ္ပါတသန္တိစေတီတော်မြတ်ကြီး [ʔoʊʔpàta̰ θàɴdḭ zèdìdɔ̀]; also called the "Peace Pagoda") is a prominent landmark in Naypyidaw, the new capital of Burma. The pagoda houses a Buddha tooth relic from China.[1] It is nearly a same-sized replica of Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon and stands 99 metres (325 ft) tall.[2]
History
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 "Rajahtani Naypyidaw" (the royal capital where the king resides).[3] The pagoda is 30 cm shorter than the Shwedagon Pagoda.[4]
"Uppatasanti" roughly translates to "protection against calamity". It is the name of a sūtra 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]
Structure
The pagoda precinct also comprises:[2]
- Maha Hsutaungpyae Buddha Image in Maha Pasadabhumi Gandhakuti Chamber
- Four jade Buddha images in the pagoda's hollow cave
- 108 feet high flagstaff
- Bo tree Garden with Maha Bo Tree and the images of the 28 Buddhas
- Garden of 108 Bo Trees
- Marlini Mangala Lake with the chamber of Shin Uppagutta
- Withongama Ordination Hall (thein)
- Cetiyapala Chamber
- Sangha Yama hostels
- Sasana Maha Beikmandaw Building
- Pagoda museum
- Pitakat Building and Religious Archive
According to The Irrawaddy, 20 people died during a ferris wheel accident at a festival marking the pagoda's consecration in March 2009.[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 [sèɪɴ bú dɔ̀]), took place on 10 March 2009.[1]
Gallery
-
Closeup of the pagoda's hti
-
-
-
-
Inside the dome
-
View from a corner
-
Plaza at sunset
-
A shrine off the main plaza
-
Main plaza looking east
References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Uppatasanti Pagoda. |
- 1 2 "Than Shwe’s New Pagoda Hides More than a Buddha Relic". The Irrawaddy. March 10, 2009.
- 1 2 3 "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.
- ↑ Weekly Eleven News Journal 1 (No. 44): 9. 16 August 2006. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "20 Reported Dead in Naypyidaw Funfair Disaster". March 10, 2009.