The Myanmar discovery circuit - Day 1 (early afternoon) - Yangon, the Shwedagon Pagoda (cont.) - The 12th of November 2015

(...)

As we wandered on the terrace I was more attentive to the worshipping rituals and details of the numerous shrines and the mythical figures than the circuit itself which took us from the initial Northern stairway towards the eight planetary posts and four shrines around the main stupa.

 

The gilded spires, the numerous Buddha images and particularly the whole mystic atmosphere put a spell on me and I just moved around breathing it in.

 

(To be continued)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Myanmar discovery circuit - Day 1 (late morning cont.) - Yangon, the Shwedagon Pagoda - The 12th of November 2015

(...)

The moment we started walking around the huge "forest" of  Pagodas, prayer pavilions and resting places on the terrace of the Shwedagon Pagoda ensemble in clockwise direction as suggested I was soon mesmerised and didn't know what to make out of it.

 

Being the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Yangon because of containing relics of the previous Buddhas between the creation and recreation of the world, as well as a piece of robe pertaining to Kassapa Buddha and eight strands of hair from the head o Gautama Buddha, the gold seen on the stupa is made of genuine gold plates covering the brick structure.

 

This tradition is said to have been initiated in the 15th century by the Queen Shin Sawbu and maintained ever since thanks to the numerous donations on the part of the public who visit it and among those the worshippers. 

I couldn't help but photographing anything that might be considered of interest (not knowing where to start) because it was soon clear I wouldn't be able to memorise all of Chocho's explanations till I got back home and I would need reference points if ever I were to further explore this invaluable Pagoda ensemble.

 

 

 

(To be continued)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Myanmar discovery circuit - Day 1 (late morning) - Downtown Yangon - The 12th of November 2015

We drove to downtown Yangon so as to walk around its area and get a feeling of what daily life was about before heading to the Shwedagon Pagoda. We stopped right in front of the Yangon Court Building and the Maha Bandula Park, from where we could see the dome structure of the Sule Pagoda topped by a golden spire. 

 

Clearly influenced by the South Indian influences this Pagoda is believed to enshrine a strand of hair of the Budda that he himself is said to have given to two Burmese merchant brothers, but the role it has played in anti-government and pro-democracy protesting is what people seem to vividly associate it with, once it was the first place to witness the brutal reaction by the Burmese government against protesters.

 

We walked around the Maha Bandula Park with its obelisk commemorating the Burmese independence from the British in 1948. In it we came across a young stern-looking Buddist monk asking for alms before we headed back onto the bus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(To be continued)