Republic of the Union of Myanmar: April 2012

Photos of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Rangoon (Yangon) 1860 - 1900

Photograph from the Curzon Collection, of shrines at the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon (Yangon), taken by Watts and Skeen in the 1890s. The Shwe Dagon is Burma's most celebrated Buddhist temple. It stands on the summit of Singuttara Hill in northern Rangoon and is believed to have originated in the time of the Buddha in the sixth century. In its current form however it dates mostly from the 18th century. This is a view of shrines on the platform surrounding the main pagoda in the temple complex. There are more than a hundred, and they are a mixture of two architectural types: conical structures with terraced octagonal bases known as stupas or zedis; and pavilions with tiered roofs or spires known as tazaungs. The variety and richness of decoration, including wood carving and stucco work, is characteristic of Burmese religious architecture. Of particular note are the flamboyant and intricate carvings ornamenting the tiered roof of the tallest pagoda.

Photograph of a prayer post at the Shwe Dagon Paya (Pagoda), Rangoon (Yangon), in Burma (Myanmar), taken by Philip Adolphe Klier in the 1890s. Tall prayer posts, known as tagondaings or dagun-daings, are found at Burmese shrines and used in Buddhist temple ritual. They are usually ornamented at the top with a mythical hintha bird and a long streamer. This view shows a stepped plinth at the base of the pole with vividly-realised sculptures of figures from the Burmese pantheon of territorial spirits known as nats, guardians of Burmese temples such as the Shwe Dagon. The prayer-post is situated on the platform surrounding the main shrine, a stupa. A smaller stupa and a pavilion decorated with ornate woodcarving can be seen in the background.

Photograph of musicians at the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Rangoon (Yangon), Burma (Myanmar), taken by Philip Adolphe Klier in the 1890s. Burma has a vast classical music repertoire known as the Maha Gita, or Great Song, and a rich tradition of ensemble musical performance. The musicians in this view are performing on the platform of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Burma’s most revered Buddhist shrine and site of pilgrimage. The base of the main stupa can be seen behind the musicians. In Burma the violin was traditionally played by blind musicians and is held upright rather than horizontally. The photograph is from an album devoted almost entirely to Lord Elgin's Burma tour of November to December 1898. Victor Alexander Bruce (1849-1917), ninth Earl of Elgin and 13th Earl of Kincardine, served as Viceroy of India between 1894 and 1899.

Photograph of glass mosaic decoration on a shrine at the Shwe Dagon Paya (Pagoda) in Rangoon (Yangon), Burma (Myanmar), taken by Philip Adolphe Klier in the 1890s. This is a general view of the shrine on the platform of the Shwe Dagon, showing intricately carved spandrels and eaves in teak, and pillars covered in mirrored glass mosaic. These were important ornamental elements used on Burmese temples to symbolise the heavenly realm and to create an impression of luxury and magnificence. The Shwe Dagon is Burma’s most revered Buddhist shrine, and contains many lavishly and richly decorated buildings. A small group of Shans is posed in front of the shrine. The Shans, one of Burma's many ethnic groups, are of Tai-Chinese stock. They originally migrated here from south-west China. Klier was known as a specialist in art photography and his work was published in art books. He was interested in portraying images of glass mosaics, woodcarving and other crafts of Burma. In fact he later became a dealer in arts and crafts such as silverware and furniture.The photograph is reproduced as Plate 4 in Harry L. Tilly, 'Glass Mosaics of Burma' (Rangoon, 1901), and there captioned 'Base of main shrine facing the east'.

This aquatint was made from plate 2 of 'Views in the Burman Empire' by Captain James Kershaw. This view was taken midway between Rangoon and its celebrated monument, the Shwedagon Pagoda. The British troops occupied this road, having taken Rangoon in 1824 on their advance into Burma. Kershaw wrote: "Nothing can exceed the beauty of a ramble on this road, where at every step the eye is presented with continual changes in the size and the construction of numerous Pagodas which flank each side ... the whole being beautifully shaded with all the richness of Eastern foliage and the faintest breeze being responded to by the tinkling of innumerable small bells, so suspended to the tee, or crown work of the pagoda, as to vibrate with the lightest air." In the distance, the river turns to the sea, "to which point our eyes were so frequently directed to discover the first approach of the ships, on the arrival of which so many of our comforts depended".

This aquatint was taken from plate 4 of 'Views in the Burman Empire' by Captain James Kershaw. Referring to the celebrated Shwedagon Paya, Kershaw wrote: "The stupendous proof of the labour to which religious superstition can prompt a nation, is built upon the highest point of land near Rangoon, and about two miles distant from the town."

The origin of the Golden Dagon, the most sacred Buddhist monument in Burma, is shrouded in myth. It was reputedly built during the Buddha's lifetime to enshrine eight of his hairs, and to have been repaired by the great Indian emperor Ashoka. Modern scholars, however, believe it was constructed some 1,000 years later. Certainly rebuilt several times, its present form dates from 1769. Four walkways lead to it on Singuttara Hill, and the glittering, gilded main stupa, over 90 metres high, is surrounded by numerous temples, statues and pavilions. Kershaw writes of his view: "The temple immediately in front presents one of the most perfect specimens of Burman carving."

This aquatint was made from plate 6 of 'Views in the Burman Empire' by Captain James Kershaw. He wrote: "This ascent to the Shoe Shando Prah, or Great Pagoda, is in the principal road from the town towards the country, and during the heavy rains was converted into a temporary barrack for European soldiers." Having taken Rangoon, the troops under General Campbell marched north into Pye, the ancient town known to the British as Prome.

Its name derives from the people known as Pyu who created city-states in Burma in the first millennium. Shwesandaw Pagoda is the town's most famous site, the name means Golden Hair Relic and it is believed to contain a couple of hairs of the Buddha. A little taller than the Shwedagon in Rangoon, this stupa is impressive on its hilltop setting.

Photograph of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon (Yangon), taken by J. Jackson in c.1868, part of an album of 43 views of Burma (Myanmar) from the Sladen Collection. The Shwe Dagon is Burma’s most revered Buddhist temple. It is of ancient origin, according to legend founded in the 6th century BC when two merchant brothers encountered the Buddha and received eight of his hairs which they took back to Burma and enshrined. Its documented history begins from the 14th century from which date successive Burmese rulers embellished it. The main shrine is built in the characteristic Burmese form of stupa or zedi (a solid structure containing sacred relics, precious stones or images of the Buddha), and is gilded a bright and dazzling gold. It stands on a terraced platform on Singuttara Hill, surrounded by many other shrines and pavilions. This is a general view of the stupa from the platform. Its bell-shaped body narrows to a pointed spire culminating in a hti or umbrella, and rests on a series of square and octagonal terraces. The stupa is surrounded by sixty-four satellite stupas (the smaller conical structures) and by statues of manuthihas (sphinxes) and chinthes (leogryphs), traditional guardian figures of Burmese temples.

Photograph of the approach road to the southern and principal entrance of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Rangoon (Yangon), taken by J. Jackson in c.1868, part of an album of 43 views of Burma (Myanmar) from the Sladen Collection. The Shwe Dagon is Burma’s most revered Buddhist shrine and stands at the centre of a terraced site on Singuttara Hill. Legend states that it is of ancient origins, built to enshrine hair relics of the Buddha. Its documented history dates from the 14th century when the Mon king Binnya U raised its stupa to 22 ms., and successive rulers from then on added to its height and embellished it over the centuries. The road terminates in a flight of steps leading to an archway with towers at either side, surmounted by tiered pyat-that spires and overgrown with vegetation. Beyond lies a covered staircase that ascends to the pagoda platform. The conical spire of the main shrine, a gilded stupa or zedi, rises above the trees. The spire is decorated with a series of bands and lotus leaves and culminates in an umbrella or hti at the pinnacle. Statues of two bilus or ogres guard the entrance at either side of the steps and in the foreground at left is another temple or monastic building. The tripod around which several figures are gathered at the base of the steps is presumably part of Jackson's equipment.

Photograph of the Royal Lake at eventide in Rangoon (Yangon), taken by J. Jackson in c.1868, part of an album of 43 views of Burma (Myanmar) from the Sladen Collection. This view looks westwards across the lake in Dalhousie Park (now Bogyoke Aung San Park). Dalhousie Park was created in the mid-19th century by the British to plans drawn up in 1856 by William Scott of the Calcutta Botanic Gardens. It was laid out around the Kandawgyi or Royal Lake, one of two lakes in northern Rangoon to the east of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda. The lake had a pleasing irregular outline which was further landscaped. The celebrated gilded stupa of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda can be seen on the horizon in the distance. The most venerated Buddhist shrine in Burma, it could be seen from all over the city due to its elevated position on the summit of Singuttara Hill.

Photograph of the South Entrance to the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon, taken by Philip Adolphe Klier in the 1890s. The Shwe Dagon is Burma's most revered Buddhist shrine. It stands on the summit of Singuttara Hill in northern Rangoon and is of ancient origins. This is a view of the main entrance, which meets the approach road from central Rangoon and the city’s port to the south. A colonnaded hall is surmounted by tiered roofs known as pyat-thats, a characteristic feature of Burmese royal and religious architecture. They are richly decorated with carved wooden flame finials on the eaves and umbrellas or hti on the spires. To the right is a colossal chinthe, a mythical animal which is the half-lion, half-griffin guardian figure of Burmese temples. Beyond the entrance hall lies a covered stairway leading up to the pagoda platform.

Photograph from the Curzon Collection, of the Sandawdwin or Hair Relics Well at the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon (Yangon), in Burma (Myanmar), taken by Watts and Skeen in the 1890s. The sacred well stands on the platform of the Shwe Dagon, Burma’s most revered Buddhist shrine, which according to legend was founded in the sixth century BC to enshrine hair relics of the Buddha. The well marks the place where the relics were washed in a spring thought to be fed by the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) River. This general view shows the brick shrine built over the well in 1879, with steps flanked by nagas, or mythical serpents, and a tiered pyat-that spire. A monk stands in front of the well and behind can be seen one of two Shan umbrellas.

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Photos of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Rangoon (Yangon) 1855 - 1900

12:41 AM | Labels: Shwe Dagon Pagoda

Stereoscopic pair of photographs taken by Underwood & Underwood in c.1900 of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon (Yangon) in Burma (Myanmar). The Shwe Dagon is a giant gilded stupa of legendary origins which stands at the heart of a Buddhist temple complex on a hill in Rangoon. It is the city’s most famous and revered monument. These prints show a view of ornate shrines, a temple bell, and tall flagstaffs on the temple platform with palm trees in the background. They are from a collection of 36 stereoscopic views of Burma, one of a series of “stereoscopic tours” of foreign countries published as part of the ‘Underwood Travel Library’. Stereoscopic views became enormously popular from the mid-19th century onward as they enabled observers to imagine that they were really “touring” around distant parts of the world. Each pair of views, made using a special camera with two lenses, is mounted on stout card for insertion in a stereoscope or binocular viewer. This device creates the illusion of a single three-dimensional image in the mind of the observer by using the binocular function of human sight to combine the two images, which are seen from fractionally different viewpoints. The photographs in this set are generally of high quality and selected for their clarity and instructive value. A few of the mounts also have a detailed descriptive caption printed on the reverse, with instructions (presumably for the guidance of teachers) as to what general topic the photograph illustrates.

Stereoscopic pair of photographs taken by Underwood & Underwood in c.1900 of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon (Yangon) in Burma (Myanmar). The Shwe Dagon is a giant gilded stupa of legendary origins which stands at the heart of a Buddhist temple complex on a hill in Rangoon. It is the city’s most famous and revered monument. The prints show a view overlooking shrines on the platform of the Shwe Dagon taken from the stepped sides of the main stupa. They are from a collection of 36 stereoscopic views of Burma, one in a series of "stereoscopic tours" of foreign countries published as the ‘Underwood Travel Library’. Stereoscopic views became enormously popular from the mid-19th century onward as they enabled observers to imagine that they were really “touring” around distant parts of the world. Each pair of views, made using a special camera with two lenses, is mounted on stout card for insertion in a stereoscope or binocular viewer. This device creates the illusion of a single three-dimensional image in the mind of the observer by using the binocular function of human sight to combine the two images, which are seen from fractionally different viewpoints. The photographs in this set are generally of high quality and selected for their clarity and instructive value. A few of the mounts also have a detailed descriptive caption printed on the reverse, with instructions (presumably for the guidance of teachers) as to what general topic the photograph illustrates.

Photograph of a dagun-daing or prayer-post at the Shwe Dagon in Rangoon (Yangon), Burma (Myanmar), taken by Frederick Oscar Oertel during the 1870s. Dagun-daings, the tall prayer-posts found at Burmese temples and used in Buddhist ritual, are usually decorated at the top with a mythical bird known as a hintha, and a long streamer. This image shows the base of the pole and a stepped plinth on which are seated vividly-realised sculptures of spirit figures from the Burmese pantheon known as nats, and bilus or ogres, both guardians of Burmese temples such as the Shwe Dagon. The prayer-post is situated on the platform surrounding the main pagoda or stupa, which can be seen in the background together with smaller satellite stupas. The Shwe Dagon is Burma's most important and iconic Buddhist shrine, tradition associating its origins with the life of the Buddha. This photograph was reproduced in George W. Bird, 'Wanderings in Burma' (London, 1897). It is one of a series of images in the Temple Collection documenting Burmese pagodas which were taken from a set of slides used by Sir Richard Carnac Temple to illustrate a lecture on 'Developments in Buddhist Architecture'.

Photograph of a group of men and women at prayer on the platform of the Shwe Dagon Paya (Pagoda), Rangoon (Yangon), in Burma (Myanmar), taken by Philip Adolphe Klier in the 1890s. The Shwe Dagon is Burma’s most revered Buddhist shrine and a site of pilgrimage. It is of ancient origin, according to legend founded in the 6th century BC to enshrine hair relics of the last Buddha. The main shrine is built in the characteristic Burmese form of a stupa or zedi, a solid, gilded structure containing the relics. It stands on a terraced platform on Singuttara Hill, surrounded by many other shrines and pavilions which are visited by worshippers in great numbers.

Photograph of the façade of the east entrance to the Shwe Dagon Paya (Pagoda) at Rangoon (Yangon), taken by Philip Adolphe Klier in the 1890s. The Burmese have an ancient tradition of woodcarving, at which they excel both technically and aesthetically. Beautifully-carved and ornate wooden elements such as the intricate scrollwork spandrels framed between the columns and the foliated eaves in this view are a characteristic feature of Burmese sacred architecture. The spandrels depict an episode from the legendary foundation story of the Shwe Dagon, Burma's most revered Buddhist shrine. Tapissa and Balika, two Burmese merchant brothers, shown on the right with bullock-drawn carts, were encouraged by a nat spirit to seek out the Buddha in India and found him meditating under a sacred Bo tree. He is shown in the carving seated on the left. On their departure, the brothers were given eight hairs from his head and asked to enshrine them as relics on Singuttara Hill where the pagoda now stands.

Photograph of the Shwe Dagon Paya (Pagoda), at Rangoon (Yangon), in Burma (Myanmar), taken by Philip Adolphe Klier in the 1890s. The Shwe Dagon is Burma’s most revered Buddhist temple. It is of ancient origin, according to legend founded in the 6th century BC to enshrine hair relics of the Buddha. The main shrine is built in the characteristic Burmese form of a stupa or zedi, a solid structure containing sacred relics, precious stones or images of the Buddha, and is gilded a bright and dazzling gold. It stands on a terraced platform on Singuttara Hill, surrounded by many other shrines and pavilions. This is a general view of the stupa from the platform. Its bell-shaped body narrows to a pointed spire culminating in a hti or umbrella, and rests on a series of square and octagonal terraces. The stupa is surrounded by sixty-four satellite stupas (the smaller conical structures) and by statues of manuthihas (sphinxes) and chinthes (leogryphs), the traditional guardian figures of Burmese temples.

Photograph by Linnaeus Tripe, from a portfolio of 120 prints, with a view of the portico of the west entrance of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon (Yangon) in Burma (Myanmar). In 1855 a British mission was sent to King Mindon Min of Burma to negotiate a settlement regarding Pegu, annexed by the British after the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1852. Linnaeus Tripe was the official photographer on this mission and his architectural and topographical views of the country form an important record. According to legend, the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, most revered of all the Buddhist monuments of Burma, was founded in the lifetime of the Buddha as a reliquary to enshrine eight hairs from his head brought back from India by two merchant brothers, Tapissa and Balika. While the core of the stupa may be very ancient, the whole is relatively more recent. It has been rebuilt several times from the 14th century onwards and the structure as seen by Tripe's mission dates from the 1770s when King Hsinbushin made many improvements to it. The ascent to the stupa on its platform is by four stairways from the four cardinal points. The western entrance and staircase was closed for a long period when the pagoda was under military use during British rule.

Photograph by Linnaeus Tripe, from a portfolio of 120 prints, with a general view of one of the ancillary pagodas of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon (Yangon) in Burma (Myanmar). In 1855 a British mission was sent to King Mindon Min of Burma to negotiate a settlement regarding Pegu, annexed by the British after the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1852. Linnaeus Tripe was the official photographer on this mission and his architectural and topographical views of the country form an important record. Tripe wrote, 'On the platform of the Shwe Dagon. There were numbers around the great Pagoda similar to this, which have been destroyed'. The Shwe Dagon stupa on Singuttara Hill is Burma's most significant Buddhist monument, of great national importance. Traditional history states that it was founded in the 6th century to enshrine eight hairs from the Buddha's head. Its documented history begins from the 14th century from which time a succession of rulers rebuilt it or made improvements to it. The bell-shaped main stupa or zedi rises to a height of just under 100 ms, and is surrounded by a multitude of smaller shrines such as planetary shrines arranged around it in no particular order or grouping on its terraced platform.

Photograph by Linnaeus Tripe, from a portfolio of 120 prints, with a view of the hinthas or hamsas (mythical birds) atop sacred flagstaffs or dagun-daings of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon (Yangon) in Burma (Myanmar). Linnaeus Tripe wrote, 'These, painted in bright colours diapered with gold and silver (traces of which still remain) must have had a very gay appearance. Henza [hintha] staves are attached to all pagodas'. The hintha bird (or hamsa in Sanskrit) features in many Jataka tales: the stories which narrate details of the Buddha's previous lives. In 1855 a British mission was sent to King Mindon Min of Burma to negotiate a settlement regarding Pegu, annexed by the British after the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1852. Linnaeus Tripe was the official photographer on this mission and his architectural and topographical views of the country form an important record. The Shwe Dagon stupa on Singuttara Hill is Burma's most significant Buddhist monument, of great national importance. Traditional history states that it was founded in the 6th century to enshrine eight hairs from the Buddha's head. Its documented history begins from the 14th century from which time a succession of rulers rebuilt it or made improvements to it.

Photograph by Linnaeus Tripe, from a portfolio of 120 prints, with a view of the east tazaung (devotional chapel) of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon (Yangon) in Burma (Myanmar). The tazaung is a square open-sided wooden pavilion with a tiered roof, and in the foreground can be seen the guardian lions or chinthes. Tripe wrote, 'The base of the Pagoda is ornamented by brickwork lions, having altars for offerings before them; their necks and the scrolls above them are inlaid with a mosaic of mirror - in the panelling behind too, were squares of mirror, the rest having once been gilt; the effect of the whole must have been very brilliant'. In 1855 a British mission was sent to King Mindon Min of Burma to negotiate a settlement regarding Pegu, annexed by the British after the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1852. Linnaeus Tripe was the official photographer on this mission and his architectural and topographical views of the country form an important record. The Shwe Dagon stupa on Singuttara Hill is Burma's most significant Buddhist monument, of great national importance. Traditional history states that it was founded in the 6th century to enshrine eight hairs from the Buddha's head. Its documented history begins from the 14th century from which time a succession of rulers rebuilt it or made improvements to it. The ascent to the stupa on its platform is by four stairways from the four cardinal points. Tazaungs on the platform are adoration halls where offerings are made and prayers are said before rows of Buddha images. Each of the cardinal tazaungs is dedicated to one of the four Buddhas of this era (kalpa or kappa). The eastern tazaung is dedicated to Kakusandha, the first Buddha of this era.

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Photos of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Rangoon (Yangon) 1860 - 1890

12:21 AM | Labels: Shwe Dagon Pagoda

Photograph by Linnaeus Tripe, from a portfolio of 120 prints, with a view looking towards the steps and southern gateway of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon (Yangon) in Burma (Myanmar). Tripe wrote, 'The road which leads to this, is, on festival days, crowded with Burmese, men, women, and children, in gay silks and muslins carrying offerings to the Pagoda'. According to legend, the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, most revered of all the Buddhist monuments of Burma, was founded in the lifetime of the Buddha as a reliquary to enshrine eight hairs from his head brought back from India by two merchant brothers, Tapissa and Balika. While the core of the stupa may be very ancient, the whole is relatively more recent. It has been rebuilt several times from the 14th century onwards and the structure as seen by Tripe's mission dates from the 1770s when King Hsinbushin of the Konbaung dynasty made many improvements to it. The ascent to the stupa on its platform is by four stairways from the four cardinal points. The southern stairway is the traditional entrance to the Shwe Dagon although today people also use the eastern stairway. In 1855 a British mission was sent to King Mindon Min of Burma to negotiate a settlement regarding Pegu, annexed by the British after the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1852. Linnaeus Tripe was the official photographer on this mission and his architectural and topographical views of the country form an important record.

Photograph of the south entrance to the Shwe Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon (Yangon), in Burma (Myanmar), taken by Philip Adolphe Klier in the 1890s. The south entrance is the main entrance to the Shwe Dagon, Burma’s most revered Buddhist shrine. The pagoda is believed to have ancient origins, legend states that it was founded to enshrine eight hairs from the Buddha's head which he presented to two wandering Burmese merchant brothers who encountered him. Since the 14th century its recorded history reveals that rulers through the centuries have added to its height and gilded it, until today its glittering spire dominates the skyline of Rangoon. This view looking towards the entrance gateway shows a flight of steps flanked by two giant chinthes or mythical lions, the guardian figures of Burmese temples. At the top of the steps a wide masonry archway is crowned by three spires or pyat-thats, architectural elements which demarcate sacred space. The arch is decorated with lions and foliate carving and surrounded by a carved heavenly landscape populated by figures from the Burmese pantheon of territorial spirits known as nats. Beyond the archway a covered staircase leads up to the pagoda platform on Singuttara Hill. The photograph is from an album devoted almost entirely to Lord Elgin's Burma tour of November to December 1898. Victor Alexander Bruce (1849-1917), ninth Earl of Elgin and 13th Earl of Kincardine, served as Viceroy of India between 1894 and 1899.

Photograph of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Rangoon (Yangon), taken by J. Jackson in c.1868, part of an album of 43 views of Burma (Myanmar) from the Sladen Collection. The Shwe Dagon is Burma's most revered Buddhist shrine. A gilded bell-shaped stupa, it can be glimpsed from all over Rangoon due to its elevated postion on Singuttara Hill. Here it is seen from the Cantonment Gardens, its spire rising above the parkland scenery and an ornamental bridge, and reflected in the still waters of the lake. The gardens were situated immediately to the south-west of the Shwe Dagon, within the British military cantonment. They were planned in 1854-56 by William Scott of the Calcutta Botanic Gardens and laid out by the city's Public Works Department.

Photograph of the southern entrance to the Shwe Dagon Paya in Rangoon (Yangon) in Burma (Myanmar), taken by Bourne and Shepherd in the 1870s and part of the Gladstone Collection. The gilded spire of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda can be seen from all over Rangoon from its position atop Singuttara Hill. According to traditional history, the Shwe Dagon, the most revered of all the Buddhist monuments of Burma, was founded in the lifetime of the Buddha as a reliquary to enshrine eight hairs from his head brought back from India by two merchant brothers, Tapissa and Balika. While the core of the stupa may be very ancient, the whole is relatively more recent. King Binnya U of Pegu (1353-85) had it rebuilt to 60 ft (18 ms) in height. During the 15th century it was rebuilt several times, eventually reaching 90 ms (it now stands at about 100 ms). During this period the tradition of gilding the stupa was begun under the aegis of Queen Shinsawbu (1453-72), who donated her own weight in gold (40 kgs). British troops occupied its precincts in 1824 and again in 1852 and it remained under military control until the 1920s. There are four covered walkways up Singuttara Hill to the platform on which the pagoda stands. The southern entrance is considered the main entrance.

Photograph of the two golden umbrellas at the Shwe Dagon Paya (Pagoda), Rangoon (Yangon), Burma (Myanmar), taken by Philip Adolphe Klier in the 1890s. The umbrella or hti is an honorific architectural element used to adorn Burmese royal and religious architecture and usually forms the pinnacle of a stupa. They are often made of gold decorated with precious stones and were traditionally donated by kings and queens. The umbrellas in this view stand on the platform of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Burma’s most revered Buddhist shrine. It is thought that they are of Shan manufacture or origin. The Shan States formed most of north-eastern Burma and the Shan people (who originally came here from the south-west of China) are known for their silverware.

Photograph of King Singu Min’s bell at the Shwe Dagon Paya (Pagoda), Rangoon (Yangon), in Burma (Myanmar), taken by Philip Adolphe Klier in the 1890s. The Shwe Dagon is Burma’s most revered Buddhist shrine, believed to have been founded 2500 years ago to house hair relics of the Buddha. There are two famous bells at the Shwe Dagon, the products of a long tradition of bronze casting in Burma. The bell of ‘Great Sound’, or Maha-ganda, is housed in a pavilion on the north-west of the pagoda platform. It was dedicated to the Shwe Dagon by Singu Min of the Konbaung dynasty (ruled 1776-82). This celebrated bell weighing 23 tons was removed from the shrine by the British in 1824 during the first Anglo-Burmese war when they occupied Rangoon. They intended to transport it to England as war booty. In the process of being loaded onto a ship, the bell slipped and fell into the Irrawaddy, and all efforts of the British engineers to retrieve it failed. It was then recovered and towed back to the shore by the Burmese who were allowed to restore it to the Shwe Dagon. The removal of the bell caused it to suffer some damage and as a result it is now silent, its mellow tones lost forever. In this view a Burmese man points to the inscription engraved on the bell which requests that the king might obtain Nirvana as a result of his act of merit. The inscription reads:

‘Let him not meet with that towards which he has no mental disposition and for which he has no desire. When Arimettiya, the last Buddha, shall be revealed, let him have the revelation that he may become a nat supreme of the three rational existences. Let the nats who guard the royal city, the palace, the umbrella, the nats who all around guard the empire, the provinces, the villages, the nats who guard the monuments of the Divine Hair around the hill Tambagutta, together with the nats governing the earth and space, and all rational beings throughout the universe utter praises and accept the supplications.’

Photograph of the Shwe Dagon Paya (Pagoda) at Rangoon (Yangon), in Burma (Myanmar), taken by Philip Adolphe Klier in the 1890s. The Shwe Dagon is Burma’s most revered Buddhist shrine. It is built in the characteristic Burmese form of a stupa or zedi, a gilded, bell-shaped structure with a spire enshrining sacred relics, precious stones and images of the Buddha. It is of ancient origin, and according to legend was founded in the 6th century BC to enshrine hair relics of the Buddha. The pagoda stands in the centre of a terraced platform on the summit of Singuttara Hill, surrounded by many other shrines and pavilions, and has four entrances at the cardinal points of the compass. This is a view looking along a roadway towards the main stupa, which is partially obscured by palm trees in the foreground.

Photograph by Linnaeus Tripe, from a portfolio of 120 prints, with a general view of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda (covered in scaffolding), with smaller pagodas in the foreground, at Rangoon (Yangon) in Burma (Myanmar). In 1855 a British mission was sent to King Mindon Min of Burma to negotiate a settlement regarding Pegu, annexed by the British after the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1852. Linnaeus Tripe was the official photographer on this mission and his architectural and topographical views of the country form an important record. Tripe wrote of this image, 'Taken from the N.W. corner of the platform. The scaffolding of bamboo, so much like basketwork, was put up by the Burmese to enable them to regild the Pagoda; an operation which will cost them about £15,000.' According to traditional history, the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, the most revered of all the Buddhist monuments of Burma, was founded in the lifetime of the Buddha as a reliquary to enshrine eight hairs from his head brought back from India by two merchant brothers, Tapissa and Balika. While the core of the stupa may be very ancient, the whole is relatively more recent. King Binnya U of Pegu (1353-85) had it rebuilt to 60 ft (18 ms) in height. During the 15th century it was rebuilt several times, eventually reaching 90 ms (it now stands at about 100 ms). During this period the tradition of gilding the stupa was begun under the aegis of Queen Shinsawbu (1453-72), who donated her own weight in gold (40 kgs). British troops occupied its precincts in 1824 and again in 1852 and it remained under military control until the 1920s.

Photograph of the south entrance to the Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Rangoon, taken by Bourne & Shepherd in the 1870s. This is the main entrance to the Shwe Dagon, Burma's most revered Buddhist shrine, and is located on top of Singuttara Hill in north Rangoon. The earliest shrine on this spot dates to somewhere between the 6th and 10th centuries, but in this earthquake prone area, the pagoda has been rebuilt numerous times and the complex in its current form dates to 1769. Steps lead up to a wide archway crowned by three spires known as pyat-thats. The arch is decorated with foliate carving and is surrounded by a heavenly landscape populated by figures from the Burmese pantheon of territorial spirits known as nats. Two bilus or ogres guard the entrance on either side of the steps. The two outer spires have niches containing statues of the Buddha, and the central spire is decorated with peacocks, which are symbolic of the sun. Beyond the archway a covered flight of steps leads up to the pagoda platform on Singuttara Hill.

.. ေမာင္ ဒီမွာေရးေနာ္ ...

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Photos of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Rangoon (Yangon) 1860 - 1900

Photos of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Rangoon (Yangon) 1855 - 1900

Photos of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Rangoon (Yangon) 1860 - 1890