| Shwemawdaw Pagoda | |
|---|---|
ရွှေမောဓော ဘုရား | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhism |
| Sect | Theravada Buddhism |
| Region | Bago Region |
| Festival | Shwemawdaw Pagoda Festival (Tagu) |
| Status | active |
| Location | |
| Municipality | Bago |
| Country | Myanmar |
  Shown within Myanmar | |
| Geographic coordinates | 17°20′13″N96°29′49″E / 17.3368744°N 96.496954°E /17.3368744; 96.496954 |
| Architecture | |
| Completed |
|
| Specifications | |
| Height (max) | nyandaw architectural height
|
| Spire height | hti spire height inclusive
|
TheShwemawdaw Pagoda (Burmese:ရွှေမောဓော ဘုရား[ʃwèmɔ̀dɔ́pʰəjá];Mon:ကျာ်မုဟ်တ[tɕaɪʔmṵtú]) is a Buddhiststupa located inBago,Myanmar. At 125 m (410 ft) in overall height, the Shwemadaw is thetallest stupa in the world.[note 1]
The annualpagoda festival is a 10-day affair that takes place during theBurmese month ofTagu.[3]
According to tradition, the original version of the pagoda was built during the lifetime of the Buddha. Two merchant brothers Kullasala and Mahasala had received two strands of hair from the Buddha himself, and upon their return to their native land, built a 22 m (72 ft) tall stupa, with the two strands in the relic chamber.[3][4] In 982/83 CE (344 ME), a sacred tooth was added to the collection.[4] According to Donald Stadtner, this tradition emerged only in the late 18th century (between 1754 and 1795), perhaps to elevate the stature of the pagoda to that of theShwedagon Pagoda.[5]
The historical pagoda dates from at least the late 14th century when Pegu became the capital ofHanthawaddy. Successive monarchs added additions to the pagoda and/or its premises. KingRazadarit built 160 small stupas around the pagoda in 1390[6] while KingDhammazedi donated a bell in the late 15th century. In 1556, KingBayinnaung installed ahti spire umbrella with jewels from his crown, and built 52 stupas, signifying his age at the time.[4] In 1796, KingBodawpaya raised the pagoda to 90 m (295 ft), and added a newhti spire umbrella for an overall height of 98.8 m (324 ft).[7][2]
The pagoda had been severely damaged several times due to earthquakes, including one in 1912, another in 1917 and another in1930. Portions of the fallen pre-1917 version of the pagoda remain at the site.[3] Repair work began in 1951 and completed in 1954.[5] The new stupa itself stands at 114 m (374 ft). Its overall height (including thehti spire) is 125 m (410 ft).[2]
Geographic data related toShwemawdaw Pagoda atOpenStreetMap
