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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.
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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