Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The stairways
Four majestic covered
stairways
(
zaungdan
) lead up from street level to the pagoda above.
Those at the north, south and west are guarded at the bottom by pairs of enormous chinthe,
although these impressive guardian figures failed to prevent the destruction of the western
stairway by fire in 1931, nor the British from badly damaging the eastern stairs when they
attacked the temple during the Second Anglo-Burmese War. There are lifts on the north
and south sides, although it's much more fun to walk. The
southern stairway
(with 104
steps) is perhaps the most impressive, its roof supported by rich red columns and lined with
shops selling assorted religious artefacts - Buddha images, miniature paper umbrellas, in-
cense sticks, flowers, religious tomes, and so on. Further shops line the almost equally im-
pressive
easternstairway
(118steps),decoratedwithgildedcolumnswithfancywoodwork.
The chintzy, almost rococo-looking
northern stairs
(128 steps) look like something out of
the interior of a French chateau. The
westernstairs
are the longest (166 steps), and contrast-
ingly plain, with white walls, golden columns, and an escalator down the middle.
The stupa
The stupa is 99m high, the entire gargantuan structure gilded using the metal from almost
22,000 gold bars. It's the iconic example of the classic Burmese stupa and has served as the
prototypeforhundredsofother
stupas
acrossthecountry.Theentirestructuresitsonasquare
white base encircled with a mass of colourful statues positioned at ground level, including
dragons, chinthe, sphinxes and assorted figures ranging from gods and kings through to loin-
clothed ascetics and dancing girls wringing out their hair - as well as a string of
planetary
Risingupfromitssquareplatform,thefirstsectionofthestupapropercomprisesthreeocta-
gonal
terraces
(
paccaya
),ringedwith64mini-stupas(eightoneachoftheeightsides)-only
monks are allowed to ascend these terraces. Above rises the huge bell and spire, crowned
with a
hti
(umbrella) said to be set with 5448 diamonds, 2317 rubies and 1065 golden bells,
along with sapphires and other gems, the whole thing topped with a single 76-carat diamond
designed to catch the first and last rays of the sun every dawn and dusk.
