Shwedagon Pagoda

Another difference between Bangladesh and Myanmar is religion.  While 90% of the population of Bangladesh are Muslim, in Myanmar nearly ninety percent are Buddhist.  Accordingly, our first stop after eating was to the Shwedagon Pagoda.   While Myanmar is the land of pagodas, this was the one that I personally wanted to see the most.   It is huge and literally contains “a ton of gold.”  

We had been advised that this pagoda appears different at various times of the day, but is best seen at daybreak or sunset.  We saw it at dusk and under a full moon!  Shwedagon was huge, shimmering - in a word, stunning.  

Lan is on the right

Started over 1600 years ago as a smallish stupa of 66 feet to enclose eight hairs of the Buddha, it is now 326 feet tall and decorated “with 3154 gold bells and 79,569 diamonds.”  (I loved the precision of these numbers.)  Decorated with over 1800 carats in diamonds, we were informed that the one at the top is a single 76-carat diamond. 

Queen Shin Saw Pu (1453-1472) was the first to completely gild the spire with thin sheets of beaten gold.  She applied 90 pounds, an amount equal to her weight.  The next king added four times the weight of he and his wife combined.  This tradition of covering images of Buddha with thin sheets of gold has continued to this day.  To show respect for Buddha (and to garner a better life), a person can buy a thin sheet of gold pressed between paper and apply it to a Buddha.  

Many Buddhas had neon light "halos"

I was expecting one large image of Buddha inside.  Instead, there were hundreds!  Some were jewel encrusted. Many, many had neon lights flashing behind them now. 

Some were very, very large

Lan’s Buddhist nun friend and I walked and talked about the Buddhas.  I asked her what she thought of all the neon lights behind the Buddhas.  She loved them, with the reasoning that they showcased and set Buddha off as radiant.  I said that I didn’t like the neon because the blinking lights distracted me from really seeing the representations.  We walked on and considered each others’ answers.   

I also asked her about why there were so many different images of Buddha.  Some were reclining; others upright.   Some were female in appearance, others male.  

Her answer was simple and resolute:  “There are many images, but only one Buddha.” 

A bit about pagoda etiquette:  At all pagodas, you must walk barefoot.  You leave your shoes at the entrance.  (They are always there when you return.)  In addition to walking barefoot, you dress in a modest fashion.  We were informed that most people don’t know – even Buddhists - that you are to walk clockwise around a pagoda.  In other words, whatever door you enter, turn your right shoulder to the central Buddha and then walk forward. 

One can offer jasmine to Buddha

Primarily men apply gold leaf
onto a Buddha

May my wish come true

Days of the week Buddhas.   The Burmese believe that your destiny is determined by the day of the week on which you were born.  They often place flowers, food, or candles in front of the corresponding Buddha or shrine.  Sometimes, there is a cup and a pool of water.  It is said that your wish may be granted if you pour water over the Buddha associated with your day of birth and whisper your wish (but tell it to no one else).