Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan

Shwezigon Pagoda is a Buddhist monastery in Bagan, Myanmar. It is located in the village of Nyaung U, four miles to the northeast of Bagan. According to historical accounts, the Shwezigon Pagoda was built by King Anawrahta to enshrine the relics of the Buddha. King Anawrahta has requested a copy of the Tooth Relic from Sri Lanka. When the relic arrived in Bagan, the king himself descended neck-deep into the river to receive it. He carried it to his palace, intending it for his private worship. However, the monk Shin Arahan, from whom King Anawrahta had learned about Theravada Buddhism, advised him that he should build a pagoda to enshrine the relic, so that it will benefit men, devas and brahma gods.

Shwezigon Pagoda, Bagan.

Accepting this advise, the king placed the relic on the bank of his white elephant and set the animal free. Where the white elephant bow down, that was the spot where the Tooth Relic will reside. However, the king was rather discontented when the white elephant decided to bow down at a sand bank a distance from the city of Bagan. According to legend, the lord of the gods caused the king to have a dream, and in the dream, he saw the sand bank transform into solid stone.

The Shwezigon Pagoda is a solid stupa. Although it was begun by King Anawrahta, the king died before Shwezigon was completed. His son King Kyansittha (1084-1113) finished it in around 1086-1090. Although several later kings repaired it, the Shwezigon retains its original shape and is the prototype for later Bagan pagoda.

The Shwezigon Pagoda is 160 feet high and 160 feet wide at the base. The Shwezigon has three square receding terraces and an intermediate octagonal base which provides a transition from the square of the terraces to the circle of the bell-shaped dome. Above the dome, the Shwezigon is decorated with a bold waist-band in the middle and with loop pendants on the shoulder, rises a ringed conical spire, which has an intervening double lotus before ending in an ovoid finial. A hti or umbrella, symbol of sovereignty, crowns the structure. The entire structure is plated with gold.

Medial stairways with makara (sea monster) balustrades provide access to the terraces of the Shwezigon pagoda on each of the four sides. On the upper most terrace of the Shwezigon are small stupas at the four corners. In addition, there are smaller stupas in the shape of kalasa pots symbolizing fertility and prosperity at the corners of all three terraces. Bicorporate lions guard the corners at the base of the lowermost terrace.

Monk with alms bowl, Shwezigon Pagoda.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

 Discover with Timothy YouTube Channel

 PG Food Channel

 Learn Penang Hokkien YouTube Channel

SojiMart Videos

 Share your travels and/or ask a travel-related question

Join the Penang Travel Tips Facebook Group to share photos, tips and anything related to your travels, or ask travel-related questions.

Map of Roads in Penang

Looking for information on Penang? Use this Map of Roads in Penang to zoom in on information about Penang, brought to you road by road.

Discover with Timothy

Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.

Disclaimer

Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

Latest from Discover with Timothy: Gurney Bay - what to see and do there

About this website

Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

Robbie's Roadmap