Burmese pagodas arestupas that typically houseBuddhist relics, includingrelics associated with Buddha.[1] Pagodas feature prominently inMyanmar's landscape, earning the country the moniker "land of pagodas."[2] Several cities in the country, includingMandalay andBagan, are known for their abundance of pagodas. Pagodas are the site of seasonalpagoda festivals.[3]
Burmese pagodas are enclosed in a compound known as thearan (အာရာမ်, from Paliārāma), with gateways calledmok (မုခ်, from Palimukha) at the fourcardinal directions. The platform surrounding a Burmese pagoda is called ayinbyin (ရင်ပြင်).
According to 2016 statistics compiled by theState Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, Myanmar is home to 1,479 pagodas exceeding 27 feet (8.2 m) in height, a quarter of which are located inSagaing Region.[4]
In theBurmese language, pagodas are known by a number of various terms. The umbrella termphaya (ဘုရား, pronounced[pʰəjá]), which derives fromSanskritvara,[5] refers to pagodas, images of the Buddha, as well as royal and religious personages, including the Buddha, kings, and monks.[6]Zedi orjedi[7] (စေတီ), which derives fromPalicetiya, specifically refers to typically solid, bell-shaped stupas that may house relics.[8]Pahto (ပုထိုး) refers to hollow square or rectangular buildings built to resemble caves, with chambers that house images of the Buddha.[1][8] Burmese pagodas are distinguished fromkyaungs in that the latter are monasteries that house Buddhist monks.
Burmese zedis are classified into four prevalent types:
Of the four classes,dhammazedis andudeikthazedis are the most prevalent, since they are routinely erected by donors as a work ofmerit.[9] Burmese zedis are typically constructed with bricks, covered with whitewashed stucco.[9] Prominent zedis are gilded with gold.[9] Burmese zedis are crowned with a spired final ornament known as thehti, which is hoisted in a traditional ceremony (ထီးတော်တင်ပွဲ,htidaw tin pwe) that dates to the pre-colonial era.[10][11]
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