Uppatasanti Pagoda

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Uppatasanti Pagoda
ဥပ္ပါတသန္တိစေတီတော်
Naypyidaw -- Uppatasanti Pagoda.JPG
Uppatasanti Pagoda is located in Myanmar
Uppatasanti Pagoda
Uppatasanti Pagoda
Location within Burma
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Information
Denomination Theravada Buddhism
Founded March 2009
People
Founder(s) State Peace and Development Council
Location
Address Naypyidaw
Country Myanmar
File:Abhisit Vejjajiva circumambulates Uppatasanti Pagoda.jpg
Thai delegation led by PM Abhisit Vejjajiva circumambulates Uppatasanti Pagoda

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

References

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